Here And Gone
by Alice J. Nightshade
Summary: Jenny and her friends are back, and the memory of Julian's death is just a memory, of the past. But when a girl at school appears with his exact eyes and his white hair, Jenny must wonder, is this really the end of the shadow men? Or just the begining?
1. Lost And Familar

**dare I continue? Chapter 1, enjoy**

Jenny closed her beautiful green eyes and when she opened them, a completely different girl from the girl that was running from Julian was facing her in the bathroom mirror. This girl's hair was longer and her green eyes were sparked with more life and brilliancy. But the biggest contrast between this Jenny and the old was that this one didn't have to keep looking over her shoulders in case a shadow man was watching.

Shaking her blonde head, she pushed through the bathroom door, a smile n her beautiful face, out into the bustling hallway of her high school. A few more weeks and it would just be a memory, just like Julian and his game. She walked through the hall completely at ease, her eyes searching the hallways for the friends that she had gone through so much with. First she saw Dee, her short black cropped hair shaking under the schools florescent lights as she strode through the hallways without a single care in the world. Next she spotted Michael's huge teddy bear form, hand in hand with Audrey, her copper ringlets bouncing with each step, eyes locked together in lovers gaze. She even saw Zach, her cousin; crack a smile, even if it was a tiny one as he walked side by side with tiny Summer who seemed like a ray of sunshine that could even lighten the darkest of Jenny's cousin's moods. And at the end of the hall, his brown hair dangling slightly into his deep eyes as he smiled, the smile that he had always saved for Jenny and his Jenny alone, and ever since Julian had disappeared, it had been coming more and more frequently.

"Hey, there." Tom said, sliding his arm around her waist and into her back pocket.

"Hey," Jenny said sneaking a quick peck on Tom's lips while a teacher had their back turned. "Any plans for lunch?"

"Same as everyday," Tom said his smile widening. "Hanging out with my best friends and my best girl."

Jenny rolled her eyes as they turned walking out into the bright sunshine, it was days like this that reminded Jenny most of Julian, maybe because after all the things he had put her and her friends through, in the end he had helped them most of all, funny how things worked out the way they did. As they pushed through the busy crowd of teenagers and made their way to the field were they would wait for the rest of their friends.

"Thorney? Tom asked staring down at his girl friend with slight and unneeded anxiousness; she blinked her forest green eyes and turned back to Tom, with a smile.

"Yeah?" Jenny asked, as they walked over to one of the picnic tables.

"Nothing." Tom smiled and cocked his head slightly to the side as if listening to the breeze or the crowd of people a few feet away but seemed as if hundreds of miles distant and it was just Tom and Jenny, just as it was supposed be.

"Hey guys." Michael said walking up from behind them with Audrey. "What's up?"

Jenny shrugged. "Nothing much you?"

"Huge test in science," Audrey said with a slight pout as she sat down next to Jenny.

"Help me study before then?"

"Like you'll pay attention." Dee commented, sitting down on the grass, near the bench. "Why not just bat your pretty little eye lashes so he'll give you an A? You know Mr. Cormick is a sucker for, foreign girls."

Audrey smiled and stuck out her tongue at her friend. Another thing that was funny was how Julian's game had brought the two girls who used to be complete opposites together.

"I actually want a grade because I earned it."

Jenny chuckled softly. "That's a new one."

Audrey rolled her eyes, "Yea well I'm a new person."

"We all are." Michael agreed, leaning against the bench near his coppery haired angel.

Everyone nodded in agreement, while Summer and Zach made their way to their spot, Summer with a huge smile on her beautiful tiny face and Zach with his own soft twitching smile.

"Hi," Summer said sitting cross legged onto the cement, trading in her usual flowery skirts for a pair of dark faded jeans.

"Hey, Summer." Every one said in the same tone of joy and familiarity, things just hadn't been the same without her and her childish innocents that came with her.

While her friends pulled themselves into an animated discussion about class ending soon and graduating, Jenny felt her gaze pull upwards, towards the front of the school. Jenny's eyes froze on a figure, with her back turned to them. She was completely unfamiliar to Jenny, but she tugged at her memory, like a scent from someone's perfume, the scent you could remember but you could never pin point exactly where it would come from. The girl was small and slight, nearly the size of summer, with white hair that went past her shoulder blades. There were blue streaks in it, a dark midnight blue that reminded Jenny of twilight.

Then she turned.

Her face was pale and beautiful, without a single blemish like most people her age would worry about, her lips were a strait line as if she was angry about something but her eyes, and they were ones that Jenny would never forget.

They were a blue, that Jenny could never describe, like the color of dawn, true dawn, and only one person in the entire world could be described with those same colored eyes.

And he had vanished before Jenny seven short months ago, and now those familiar eyes were locked on Jenny, with something new to Jenny, not hate, or lust, or sadness. Lost. Jillian had felt alone but this was complete and utter aloneness, and now this mysterious girl was staring at Jenny with that expression, but as her eyes met her green ones, something sparked between them, and now the girl was vanishing in the sea of faces.

**yay or ney? Continue? Review if you want me to, if you dont then just ignore this and gain back the minute or so it took you to read this. :)**


	2. The Truth Of Fear

**Chapter 2 because I want to know what you all thinks!**

"Jenny." Someone said from behind the door of Jenny's open locker as she dug around for her math text book. She shut it and turned to the person who had said her name and came face to face with a pair of cobalt blue eyes. Flinching back reflexively she saw it wasn't Julian, but the girl from the court yard with the lost expression. Now, her eyes were confused and open, and her mouth had a bit of a smile. She was wearing knee high black boots and a black skirt that stopped above her knees. Her shirt was black too, with a long jacket that seemed to big for her and only let her fingers be seen from the cuffs.

"Yes," Jenny asked reluctantly, her voice nearly cracking on the single word.

"You're Jenny?" The mysterious girl asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Yes?" Jenny repeated, leaning on the wall of locker's for support. She hadn't expected to come face to face with the small girl so soon, but she knew it was bound to happen, sooner or later. Now Jenny realized why she had wanted it to be later.

"You seem quieter in person." The girl thought out loud, pursing her lips slightly.

"You're the girl who lost their friend last year, huh? Summer Parker-Pearson?"

Jenny nodded, remembering the many days that they had to lie about their small friend's disappearance, alt hose days she had thought that Summer was dead and that she was the reason for it, but it wasn't.

The girl stuck out her hand at Jenny. "Julietta."

Jenny took the girls hand gently. "That's a pretty name."

Julietta shrugged, shaking Jenny's hand slowly. "Most people call me Julie, less formal you know?" She smiled mischievously.

He_ has that smile. _Jenny thought instantly and pulled her hand back turning to start walking down the hall.

"So, a lot of weird stuff happened to you last year didn't it?" Julie asked keeping up with Jenny's pace. "I heard there was a wolf at the senior prom."

"Why would that have to do with me?' Jenny asked, refusing to meet Julie's eager eyes.

"Because you were at the senior prom." Julie said quickly. "I heard it was big, I would have been so scared, weren't you? With a giant wolf lurking around?"

Jenny hesitated for a second next to Julie, then started walking again but she kept speaking. "I like wolves though, their usually very social animals. I've always wanted one as a pet; do you have any pets Jenny?"

Jenny nodded. "A stray cat named Colette." Jenny though back to the day she tried to pet Colette and she hissed, swatting at Jenny with her claws out, she never again would let Jenny touch her.

"That's sweet." Julie said, truly meaning it. "I've always wanted a pet, but I can't have them. My mom is afraid of them ever since we saw this man at a street fair holding a giant snake. She said it was the creepiest thing shed ever seen."

_Just another choice of words. _Jenny thought, walking a bit faster in hopes of losing Julie in the crowd.

Julie sighed. "My brother would have loved to have a snake as a pet."

Jenny stopped pointblank in the middle of the hallway and turned to Julie, her forest green eyes wide. "Excuse me?"

"My brother." Julie repeated as she walked past Jenny, "He used to love snakes and wolves too, they were some of his favorite things, but they only came close to his number one."

Jenny reached out to touch Julie's shoulder but again, the tiny girl disappeared into the sea of high school students on their way to class.

. . .

"I think she's related to Julian." Jenny calmly as she walked with Dee and Audrey to

Audrey's spider, both girls paused and turned staring openly at Jenny. "She's got the same hair color and the exact same eyes."

"So?" Dee asked, pulling the door open to the car.

"So, what if she's a shadow man?" Jenny asked.

"One, she's a girl." Audrey said as she slid into the driver seat. "Two how do you know she's related to him? She could just be some Goth chick with bleached hair and contacts."

"But she mentioned the wolf and a snake." Jenny said indignity "And she said both words creepy and lurking with the animals, what if she's here to bring us back to the shadow world?"

"Seriously, Jen." Dee said as she slid into the back of the car. "You need to relax. It's all over."

Jenny sighed and leaned her head against the cold glass on her side of the car. "I know, it's just…what if it isn't?"

"Dees right." Audrey agreed, which was still a new concept to even her. "Everything is over and done with and now we can get on with our lives."

Jenny wanted to agree with her friends that she was over reacting but she just couldn't. Something kept nagging at her that is wasn't right, and that she couldn't just get on with her life just yet.

"Look," Audrey said looking over at Jenny between spiky lashes. "How about we all head over to your place and ask every body what they think, alright? Will that put this nonsense to rest?"

Jenny shrugged, still gazing out the window to the world that was whizzing by, and she hoped, that she was wrong.

. . .

"You've got, to be kidding me." Michael exclaimed as Jenny finished speaking.

"Seriously, Jen you're losing it." Tom glared at his dark haired friend while he back tracked. "No offense but you need to let it go."

They were all sitting in Jenny's living room, ironic that they would be here after such a short time and everything would return back to normal. Tom and Jenny sat on one end of the couch while Michael and Audrey sat on the other. Summer and Zach were on the floor with Dee long legs out stretched in front of her.

"But maybe she has some relation with the Shadow world and she does something that can tell the shadow men they can still get us?" Jenny asked, leaning her head against Tom's shoulder.

"Jenny, it's over." Summer insisted. "It's all finally over and I'm back, completely not dead, why do you think now they would send someone after us?"

Jenny shrugged. "I don't know, but I feel like we should watch out for her, she could be dangerous."

Tom squeezed Jenny's shoulder, affectionately. "If it'll make you feel safer then well all watch out okay?"

Jenny nodded, a smile growing on her tense face, why would she ever need to be so worried if she had Tom here with her this time?

. . .

"Hey, Jenny." Julie's voice sounded from behind her making Jenny jump and drop her things.

"Sorry." Julie said crouching down to pick up Jenny's things before Jenny could and handing them back to her in a pair of shocked arms. "I'm so sorry; I need to stop sneaking up on people like that I know."

Jenny stared back at Julie who was wearing a plaid red and black skirt and long black shirt with a red tie and the knee high boots again.

"Hi," She said hesitantly, glancing back to see if any of her friends were around to help her.

"Jenny?" Julie asked touching Jenny's shoulder lightly and making her jump again. "I'm sorry if I scared you, are you okay?"

Jenny nodded and turned back to the girl with pale hair streaked with blue and dawn colored eyes. "I'm fine, are you?"

Julie nodded her head a blur of blue and white. "Yea, sorry about yesterday, I tend to just disappear a lot."

Jenny nodded and started walking down the hallway with Julie as her shadow. "It's alright; you were talking about your brother right?"

Julie nodded, her eyes growing dark. "Yea, he's not around anymore."

Jenny turned to the girl sympathetically; she wore the look that Jenny had when ever someone talked about Summer, or how she had disappeared. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright." Jenny reassured the light playing her way back into her eyes. "I know it's not permanent, just temporary."

Jenny nodded slowly. "What is he like?"

"He's nice." Julie said with a grin. "And fun, but he's also sneaky, and can be mischievous." She turned to look at Jenny, "Guess that's where I get it from."

"He sounds great." Jenny said reluctantly, waiting for Julie to tell her more.

"He was, when he wasn't obsessed." Julie said sadly and turned back around to face Jenny with terrified blue eyes. "He hasn't been the same for a while, he's been different."

"Different how?" Jenny asked curiously, hoping that Julie didn't think her as to eager to tell her information.

"All he can talk about is some girl, he lost. Or at least he did when he was around, he would complement about her and just completely lose himself." She frowned and pursed her lips. "I don't really want to talk about it anymore." She confessed, and looked up at the clock. I gotta go, bye Jenny."

And the mysterious girl vanished without a trace.

**You like? Chapter 2 is done, okay so what are you all thinking? Review **


	3. Silence Holds All Secrets

**Chapter 3! Enjoy it! **

"Obsessed?" Tom repeated. "I think you might be right Thorny."

Tom and Jenny were sitting in Tom's car after he picked her up to bring her to Audrey's. His hands gripped the steering wheel in a way that told Jenny this wasn't the time to

bring up Julian but it had to be done and she knew that.

"She kept telling me a bunch of weird things." Jenny continued. Sneaky, mischevious, and obsessed about a girl he lost. It can't all just be coincidence and the way she looks too, she has his smile, Tom."

Tom sighed and shook his head slowly. "Why can't this just be over?" He muttered smacking the steering wheel and jerking it slightly to the right. "Why can't we just get on with our freaking lives?" He cried staring strait at the road.

Jenny laid a hand onto Toms shoulder, of all her friends she felt that he had taken the curse that Julian was the hardest, she willed herself not to remember the days of how distant he had acted from Jenny. How could she make him go through that all again?

"She may not be like him." She whispered. "She may just want her brother back, maybe if we-"

"If we what Jenny?" Tom snapped. "She's just like him, a shadow person and that's all she will be, and if we try to help her we'll just be letting Julian back into our lives."

And for the rest of the night, Jenny stayed quiet because no matter what action Julian may have done in the end, he was a shadow man and he was a monster.

. . .

"Have you always lived here?" Julie asked, skipping next to Jenny as they walked through the busy halls. Instead of her usual pigtails her hair was down and in hanging near her waist, while her blue eyes shone.

"Yea." Jenny said quietly, hoping that Julie wouldn't bring up her brother again; she didn't want to know any information about him for a long time.

"I haven't." She said happily. "I've been somewhere else completely, where my family still is. Only me and my brother left but everyone else is still there waiting for us." She sighed. "But now it's just me."

"Is your brother…" Jenny couldn't say it, she couldn't acknowledge tat Julian was dead, merely because it was a human quality, shadow men couldn't die but their names could be carved back into the rune stave.

"He isn't dead." Julie said indifferently. "He's just going to be gone for a while. And when he comes back he might be better."

"Is he sick?" Jenny asked.

Julie shrugged. "Kind of. He's love sick with someone who can never love him." Julie sighed. "He's known her for years, but never really talked to her its kind of sad. Then one day he does talk to her and tries to get her to go out with him and invites all of her friends to this party kind of thing, but they all left so he tried again and again, but when ever I tried to talk to him he ignored me or just said he was busy." She shook her head sadly. "Then finally, there was…an accident."

Jenny froze in place, knowing that this girl was important and may or may not have been able to affect her and her friend's lives completely. Jenny placed her arm around the smaller girl as they walked but Julie didn't seem to notice. "That sounds so horrible."

Julie nodded sadly, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her black jacket. "So now, I have to wait."

"You're alone aren't you?" Jenny pointed out, not really knowing why.

Julie nodded. "I have been for a while now." She sighed. "And the worst part is, my apartment's rent is getting raised, I'm nearly broke as it is so soon, I'll have no where."

Jenny didn't know why, but suddenly she felt her heart brake for the young girl and the next thing she did was purely out of the kindness of her heart.

. . .

"She's what?" Dee asked sitting up from sit up position.

This year Dee and Jenny had gotten the same gym period so they constantly had time to chit chat, and right now it was about what Jenny had done for the sad little girl, Julie. The coach blew his whistle again an Dee pulled up, frowning at Jenny, each time she did.

"I invited her to stay with me." Jenny said half heartedly, knowing that Dee would react the way she was. "She has no where else to go."

"How about with her parents?" Dee asked pulling up form another sit up. "Or even with some distant family member?"

"They all live far away." Jenny said with a shrug. "And she's only fourteen; she can't afford to go back there."

"This is the girl who might be related to Julian right?" Dee inquired, lying on her back. "The one who has the blue eyes and white hair with steaks?"

Jenny nodded. "Maybe she can tell me more about the Shadow world or tell me if Julian is coming back."

Dee rolled her eyes. "Or maybe she's just some random chick who is using you for a free ride."

Jenny thought she heard Dee say something else but her friend was silent, she looked around the room but only heard quiet distant conversation about normal things, unlike the shadow world and shadow men who they had defeated.

"Shhhhhhhhhhh." She heard, hoping that it was her friend, who had her eyes wide open, hearing the same noise Jenny was hearing.

Both girls closed their eyes, waiting for the sound of Shh's to silence but it never did. Reasonable explanations rushed through Jenny's mind, the buzzing lights over head or the sound of air escaping through the schools ancient heaters, but deep down Jenny knew the truth. This wasn't a normal sound that could be explanted from her world; this was a noise form the shadow world.

Dee coughed and was staring out toward one of the exits of the gymnasium, turning Jenny saw what her friend saw, standing in the open doorway, eyes closed, was Julie mouthing silent words neither girl would hear.

**Ohhhh mysterious, isn't it? Hope you like. Reviews, please? **


	4. New Friends, New Reactions

**Chapter four is now up! Enjoy. **

"Your house is beautiful." Julie said as she walked into Jenny's home, her dark clothes standing out like a sore thumb. "Are you sure it's alright if I stay here?"

Jenny nodded, pointing to the guest room. "You can unpack there now if you want; I'm just going to talk to my parents."

Julie nodded and skipped down the narrow hallway and walking into the small guest room.

"She seems nice." Jenny mother mused, leaning against the kitchen counter. "How do you know her again?"

"I met her at school." Jenny explained again. "Her family doesn't stay with her and her brothers sick so she had no where else to go. She looked at her mother sadly. "She's only fourteen mom, where can she stay?"

Her mother nodded. "It's just so sad. I'm glad she has a friend like you Jenny."

Her father nodded too, tying his dark blue tie around his neck. "Your mother's right. He smiled. "Now remember well only be gone for a couple hours, there's pizza money on the fridge and if you want to invite some of the girls over, be my guest."

Jenny smiled, glad that her parents had bothered to trust her at all after she ran from them and when P. C. and Slug broke into her house. "Thanks guys. She kissed her mother on the cheek then did the same to her father. "You guys are the best parents I could ever have.

They smiled and hugged their daughter as they left, her mother pausing and whispering that it was alright to invite the boys over if they were careful, before shutting the door behind them.

"Did your parents leave? Julie asked from the living room suddenly, her hair in pig tails again and a black book in her lap, matching her dark jeans and tee shirt. "Yes, I'm sneaky so I can get from place to place quickly. You learn to get used to it, trust me."

Jenny smiled and picked up the home phone. "Do you want to order pizza first or wait till everyone gets here then order it?"

Julie shrugged. If we order now then it might get here with only half the people here so we all would probably eat it and the rest would get none, so I say we wait." She smiled wickedly. "Who's coming over?"

"Everyone, Jenny replied calling Audrey. "I'm sure they'll all love to meet you."

. . .

"Who is that?" Audrey asked when she walked in the front door with Michael by her side and saw Julie sitting on the ground by the couch. Both were somewhat damp from the slight rain that had started to pour from the outside.

"Julie." Julie replied without looking up from her book. "And you're Audrey." Julie looked up and smiled at Audrey with a slight cock of her head. "It's true; you do kind of look like a French model." Julie shrugged. "I thought they were over reacting because they never see pretty girls."

Instead of asking who "they" were, Audrey smiled and pushed a coppery ringlet behind her ear. "Why, thank you Julie. And this is my boyfriend Michael." She gestured to the teddy bear like boy with dark curls that spilled over his head into his soft gray eyes, as she wet into the kitchen with Jenny behind her.

Julie smiled and waved at Michael who waved back with enthusiasm.

"Are you new at school?" He asked as he sat next to her on the couch.

Julie nodded. "I'm a freshman."

Michael smiled. "I remember those days."

"You still act like you did those days." Dee said from the front of the room, leaning against the doorway, shaking her head, letting tiny drips fall onto the carpet. When she saw Julie her eyes narrowed slightly then returned to their normal state as Jenny and Audrey walked in from the kitchen with arms full of sodas.

"So, how long have you all been friends?" Julie asked setting down her book in her lap and sipping her can of soda that Jenny had handed to her.

"Well, all of us except for Audrey have known each other since we were kids." Jenny explained, cracking the top to her own can. "We've been through a lot together."

"Cool." Julie said with a slight smile. "What kind of stuff do you all like to do?"

The doorbell rang and while Jenny got up to answer it, Dee and Audrey explained all the things they like to do. Audrey did most of the speaking while Dee just nodded sullenly.

"Hey, everybody." Summer said sitting down next to Dee on one of the couches.

"Hey Sun Bun." Michael replied with a quick wave. "Where's Zach?"

"He's coming." Jenny said hanging up her a phone. "Just ordered some pizza incase you guys are hungry. She eyes Michael wearily. "Like I have to ask."

Michael stuck his tongue out and wrapped his arm around Audrey's waist. "So how do you know Jenny, Julie?"

Julie shrugged staring strait down. "I met her by her locker; I've heard lots of stuff about you guys."

Everyone was quiet; an awkward eerie silence that Summer was the one to break.

"Like what kind of stuff?" she asked, leaning forward slightly with interest.

"I heard that they murdered you." Julie said with a smile. "Which would be really stupid, no offence but none of you are the murdering type."

Dee sighed. "I resent that.'

Julie smiled. "Okay, none of you are the murdering type except Dee who can not only kill but kick but and do it with style."

Dee smiled and raised her thumb, "Now you've got it."

"Got what?" Zach asked, walking into the room with his jacket in one hand and his camera in the other.

"I just got Dee's personality down." Julie said with a smile. "And you're Zach, right? Jenny's cousin?"

Zach nodded, sitting down next to Summer. "And you are?"

"Julie." Summer, Jenny, Audrey, Michael and Dee said mat once, each of them smiling, while Jenny continued "She's new."

"Nice camera." Julie commented. "I bet the resolutions of the photos are really high, huh?"

Zach blinked at Julie then the corner of his mouth pulled up into a small smile. "You got that right; you should have seen the pictures I got this snake."

Julie smiled wider. "I would love too."

The group started to chat amongst themselves about unimportant things like teachers they have this year and about things that they had done this summer.

"I'll be right back." Julie said jumping up and then going down the hallway to the guest bed room.

"She's so sweet." Audrey said when Julie closed the door. "How could she be related to Julian in any way?"

Jenny shrugged. "Julian was very persuasive, maybe she is too."

There was a loud knock at the door and Jenny jumped up, running to let her boyfriend in, his hair dripping from the gallons of water falling from the dark sky. "Hey Thorny,"

"Hey Tom," Jenny said lacing her hand between his wet one. "What's up?"

"It's really pouring out, if you hadn't noticed." Tom said with a smile as they walked into the living room. "Hey, the gangs all here."

Jenny laughed softly. "Yea, my parents are going to be gone for a couple hours so I thought we could hangout."

"Cool." Tom said sitting across from Zach and Summer, pulling Jenny along with him. "What activities do you have planned?"

"I was thinking we could play a game." Dee joked. "A game of life or death, of fear and secrets. A game where the entire course of our lives may hang in the balance."

Everyone stared at Dee with wide eyes, each fearing the worst possible outcome, but no one able to speak.

Dee smiled wickedly. "Monopoly anyone?"

Everyone let out the breaths that they held and laughed along with their insane friend. Every once and a while they deserved a good joke about what had happened to them, so why would now be any different?

"Do you even have monopoly?" Summer asked Jenny.

"Yea, you do." Julie said walking into the room with the large monopoly box. "Can I be the dog token?" Julie set the box down on the coffee table and crossed her legs.

"Who is that?" Tom asked quietly, his eyes never leaving Julies small being, even though he could only see her back and not her face because he had been looking at Jenny when she came into the room.

Julie turned her head around, gazing at Tom with her unnatural blue eyes, making Tom cringe into Jenny. "You must be Tom." She spun around and stuck out a hand to him. "I'm Julie, pleased to meet you."

**I enjoy Julie very much, loll. Okay I now know EXACTLY what I'm going to do in this story. Before I was just kind of letting it go where it would but now I know exactly. Review please! **


	5. Honesty As Cruel As Irony

**Chapter 5 and it's a quickie, enjoy.**

Tom instantly stood at the sight of Julie, trying to resist the urge to run away, she was just a girl for Christ sake, no an evil master mind like Julian had been.

"Are you okay?" Julie asked, cocking her head to the side curiously. "You seem, troubled."

"I'm fine." Tom snapped, making Julie flinch back.

"Maybe, I should go out front and wait for the pizza guy." Julie said standing up and turning from tom to stare at Jenny. "Where's the pizza money?"

"Refrigerator." Jenny said automatically, her attention fixed on Tom.

"Thanks." Julie said running to the kitchen the out the front door. When it shut soundly behind her, Tom whirled behind to Jenny.

"What is she doing here?" He practically yelled.

"She's staying here." Jenny said quietly looking away from her boyfriend. She had known this side of Tom fairly well and enjoyed it as much as a penguin would enjoy a volcano. "You didn't have to scare her though."

"I scared her?" Tom snapped. "She's one of them, Jen!"

"She's just a kid!" Jenny protested standing up. "And she had no where else to go!"

"How about back to her own world with the rest of those monsters?" Tom screamed, making everything in the room, including some of the people, shake.

"We don't know if she's a shadow man." Dee snapped, appearing at Jenny's side. "And she's right, Julie is only fourteen, you couldn't just snap at her like that."

"She's not human!" Tom screamed. "She's just like her prick brother and the rest of those monsters!"

Someone dropped something from the other room and there were a few running foot steps and the slam of a door, and Jenny instantly knew that the pizza boy had arrived early.

"Nice going Tom." Michael said bitterly looking over to the hallway. "You're an ass, you know that?"

"Yea, I'm the ass." Tom yelled. "Jenny's brought in a monster that is probably related to the same one that tormented us, while you all just pretend like she's completely normal and now I'm the ass."

"Get out." Jenny said quietly, but loud enough for everyone to turn to her with wide eyes.

Tom's eyes were wider then anyone else's. "What?"

"Get out Tom." Jenny repeated calmly. "Just get out of here." The words killed her to say but they had to be spoken.

"Thorny," Tom whispered. "You can't just-"

"I said get out of here Tom." Jenny screamed. "Get out of my house!"

Tom blinked and shook his head slowly, trying to clear out Jenny's words from his ears but instead they stayed and repeated over and over. "You can't mean that."

"I do Tom." She said stubbornly. "Now, leave. I don't want to have you here if you're going to act like a complete jack ass. Go yell at someone else for a while." She turned away from him and stared down at the carpet.

Tom took a step towards Jenny who took an immediate step back, still refusing to look at him. "Please." She whispered. "Just go."

With a sigh, Tom turned and walked out, carefully stepping over the soggy pizza boxes and out into the poring rain.

**Shorty but it gets to the point. Right now Tom's being g a jerk and it killed me for Jenny to have to say that stuff but if anyone else did it just wouldn't have gotten through. Cruel irony…Review please! **


	6. Discovery

**Chapter 6 is short like before but shocking, hope you like.**

Jenny slid onto the floor of the room, a few seconds after the door shut behind Tom. She had said such cruel things to him, why hadn't she told him she was right like a good girlfriend should have done, or at least tell him not to say such things? Because she knew that he would have never listened to her, or anyone else for that matter.

Michael and Audrey stood, walking over to the pizza boxes and distributing steaming slices to everybody. Someone placed one in front of Jenny, but she knew she wouldn't be in the mood to eat it.

"I left her two slices outside her door." Michael said sitting down next to Audrey and taking a bite out of one of his own. "You alright, Jen?"

Jenny shook her head, and placed it in her hands, not wanted anyone to see her right now.

"You did the right thing." Dee said sitting down next to her and wrapping her arms around Jenny. "I know it hurt, but it had to be said."

Jenny nodded mutely and wiped the water from her eyes. "I know." She whispered hoarsely.

"What do we do now?" Zach asked quietly staring at the pizza at his lap. Even though Tom's words were cruel, he had been right to a sense. They might have let a shadow person into Jenny's home and welcomed her with open arms, what could they do now?

"I'll talk to her." Jenny said, sitting up and picking her pizza up from the floor in front of her. "If I'm not back in a half hour, check on us, okay?"

Everyone nodded as Jenny turned to go talk to Julie, to try to get answers to questions she didn't even know to ask.

. . .

Jenny knocked on the guest room door hesitantly, the pizza that Michael had said he left was gone, but the door itself was still locked. "Julie, it's me, Jenny."

"What do you want?" Jenny heard from behind the door, closer then she would have thought but still a little unclear.

"I just want to talk." Jenny said quietly, placing her hand on the knob. "Can you let me in?"

Jenny heard Julie sigh and the door knob now turned in Jenny's hand, allowing her access into the guest room.

It was a room a bit smaller then Jenny's with gold sheets that matched the light gold room; the bed was still freshly made from the way Jenny left it when she came home, except now Julie was sitting on it with a slice of pizza in hand and another on the paper plate next to her.

"What do you want?" Julie asked, angrily, not in any mood to talk to Jenny or anyone else at the moment.

"I'm sorry, for what Tom said about you." Jenny said quietly closing the door behind her. "He's been through a lot like all of us, but."

"He thinks I'm a shadow man." Julie said calmly, making Jenny step back with wide eyes.

"How do you know that?" Jenny asked. "Did you hear Dee say that?"

Julie shook her head. "No, I just new it's probably what he thought, with my hair and eyes and such." She looked at Jenny dangerously. "But he isn't right."

Jenny nodded, still staying where she was, held there by fear.

"I'm not a shadow man." Julie said confidently. "But I know about them. And I know about you Jenny, and about how you opened the door to their world when you were five years old and your grandfather allowed himself to be taken instead of you."

Jenny couldn't speak, just allowed her eyes to get wider as Julie kept talking.

"Julian right? He saw you, didn't he? When you were just five years old, and he waited for you and trapped you all, but you tricked him some how and that's probably how he took Summer." Julie closed her eyes. "But he sent the Lurker and the Creeper back to help him get you back, and all your friends to, but your smarter then that and again you escaped." Julie smiled. And now he's gone, because he loves you enough for himself to be sacrificed so you can be happy."

"How do you know all that? Jenny whispered. "How?"

"I did a lot of reading." Julie said, picking up an old dark book with a leather front and back from under her pillow, covered in Runes. She snapped the front open and flipped through of the old pages, allowing Jenny to see m ore Runes written on the paper.

"Where did you get that?" Jenny asked. It had looked like one f the books she could have found in her grandfather's basement.

"My father." Julie whispered looking up at Jenny. "Before he disappeared like your grandfather."

"How did he get it?" Jenny asked, "And how did he know that my grandfather disappeared?"

"Because," Julie sighed closing the book and laying it in front of her a few feet from the paper plate. "He was your grand father's apprentice."

**Okay, big shock here what do you all think? Review and tell me! **


	7. Revealed

**Explanation time, oh goodie. **

"So start from the beginning." Dee said, taking another bite out of a slice of pizza, before tossing it back onto the paper plate next to her. "And do not skip out on any of the details."

Julie nodded, flicking a strand of white from her eyes before turning back to face the group of, Jenny, Dee, Audrey, Summer, Michael, and Zach. After she explained to Jenny about how she knew what she did, Jenny demanded that she explain everything and in front of everyone.

"From the beginning," Julie started stopping and turning to face everyone. "About twenty years ago my father met Jenny's grandfather in a store that sold magic crafts and charms of all kinds. They had started talking and her grandfather told him that he could show my father the most amazing things, more amazing then anything that he could imagine. Over a short period of time they became really close and he told my dad everything and how he had to keep it from his own family and respected that my father did the same." She sighed and placed her hands at her temples trying to back track her thoughts. "At the time he only had a wife and a daughter."

"I thought you said that you had a brother." Jenny interrupted earning an _are you kidding me?_ Look from both Dee and Julie.

"I lied okay?" Julie admitted. "I had too, if I just walked up to you and said, oh, hey Jen what's up? Did you know your grandfather knew my dad, like before he disappeared? And I know about the shadow world too? No." Julie rolled her uniquely colored eyes. "So, one day your grandfather disappears and when he goes over to your house, he sees that he isn't alone and that you're scraped up and bloody, that's when he knew what sacrifice he had made.

So my dad started writing all his discovers in this little journal of his, everything he knew about the shadow world and some stuff from your grandfathers journal too, and he even watched over Jenny a bit to make sure that no shadows came out and grabbed her. Little did he know that one was already following her." Julie filled through the thick brown book shed been crushing in her grip since she walked into the living room.

"'There's one of them following her.'" She quoted. "'All the signs are there, but he doesn't try to inflict any harm or led her back to the world shed escaped, he just hovers.' So my dad kept an eye on you until finally he'd had enough and wanted to go tell you what he thought was going on, but," Julie cut off, looking away from the group and biting her lip when she looked back; there were tears in her eyes. "He was tricked by Julian I think, he took me to your grandfather's house, me and my sister because we didn't want to be left behind. He heard screams coming from the basement, at first he thought it was one of us but when he ran down there all he could see was this little tuff of blonde hair." She paused grabbing her mouth, and looking back up at them with obvious agony. "I was right there, sitting by the couch playing hide and seek with Emily, and I saw him come in, run in. I wanted to yell Daddy but I just sat there and watched as he pulled open the door.

It was so cold." Julie whispered. "Below freezing, it made my arms hurt and I stared at my father as he was pulled through the doorway. I couldn't speak, just watch as he was dragged away, the last thing he saw might have been me. Because when I blinked he had tears in his eyes and was smiling a little, maybe knowing that I would be alright." When the door closed I screamed and ran to it, trying to beat it open but it was locked, and finally Emily found me and called my Mom who picked us up and thought that my dad had left.

Years later I found his journal, it was in the back of his closet, and I read through it over and over and understood it all." Julie looked over at Jenny. "I had to find you, and tell you that you weren't alone, and that I knew how you felt, but I couldn't for a while, until I saw you disappear into the more games store." Julie sighed and leaned against the wall for support. "I banged against the wall, until those two guys came and chased me away, but I still waited for you to return and when you finally did, I knew I was already too late.

I wanted to follow you, but the box scared me, because I knew it was from one of them. But finally I followed you home, and watched as you all said the oath and talked about the shadow man and his minions, then realized that there was nothing I could do now. Afterwards I read about these two guys breaking into someone's house and someone disappearing, my mind nagged at me to read it and when I finally did I realized that you had gotten out alive or most of you anyway." Julie eyes Summer sadly.

"I followed you around town, keeping my eyes on you at school, and at home to make sure that Julian didn't try anything and after awhile he didn't I heard about that kid, who died in a hunting accident too, so I knew I had to be careful for a snake and a wolf lurking in the shadows, and finally I heard about you and Audrey heading out to prom so I decided why not go too."

"How'd you get into prom?" Audrey asked and all eyes turned to her as she delicately shrugged. "It's just a thought; prom isn't exactly easy to crash."

"When it's a masquerade and you wear five inch heels it is." Julie said with a grin. "I was just another senior girl, and when I walked in I also realized finding you and Jenny was going to be pretty hard. At least until I saw a plash of gold from the corner of my eyes and followed it out to the balcony where you stood arms around someone with odd white hair."

Jenny flinched at Julian's description but Julie hadn't even gotten to the worst stuff yet.

"I saw him lift away his mask, and those eyes." Julie shuddered. "I couldn't imagine what secrets they held, I heard you talk to each other and how you agreed to a new game, but before I could act upon it, he disappeared and then, I wasn't any where near you, I was outside in the parking lot." She shrugged. "I knew he wouldn't let me help you guys so I had to wait, because I knew that eventually you would beat him, and in a month or so, you came back to the school and I knew next year it would be time to ask questions. Julie sighed and raised her hands then let them fall back to her sides. "That's it. Any questions?"

"Does your mom know you're here?" Jenny asked.

Julie shook her head. "Of course not, I disappeared from Pennsylvania and came here."

"Is Julie your real name?" Michael asked raising a thick brown eye brow.

"Of course." Julie said with a sigh. "Anything else?"

"What do you know about the shadow men noises?" Dee asked. "Like the hissing noise Jenny and I heard in gym class and saw you in the corner whispering something."

Julie's eyes widened. "What hissing noise?"

"You know," Jenny replied with a tense shrug. "It was this low hiss, like a snake and then we saw you mumbling something."

"Are you talking about what happened Thursday?" At jenny's nod Julie continued. "I was listening to music that day in gym, I had my head phones in the entire time and I was mouthing the lyrics, I didn't hear any hissing noises."

And in that moment, Jenny learned a terrifying truth that they weren't alone, and that even at this moment, the shadow men were back and watching over them, waiting to strike and that maybe Julian was waiting with them.

**Kk so is everyone all caught up now? We all know who Julie is and we know what happen to her, we also know that the shadow men are lurking and creeping in the shadows. Review? **


	8. New Hunt

**Chapter 8, this is going by fast and I hope you like. **

"So, there are like Shadow men still after you guys?" Julie asked, crossing her ankles in the air. After her confession everyone started to kind of disperse and leave, not in the exact mood to talk at the moment, leaving Jenny and Julie alone with the left over pizza and pizza boxes. Jenny picked up another greasy plate and nodded to her new friend who was currently sitting upside down on her couch and twisting her ankles over and over in mid air.

"That sucks." Julie commented, looking up at Jenny. "What are we going to do?"

Jenny shrugged. "I don't know; wait until one of them attacks or until we figure out what they want from us."

Julie sighed and rolled over to now she was facing somewhat right side up, her elbows were on the floor but her legs were still in the air, black boots dangling dangerously close to the pale painted walls. "That's a sucky plan."

Jenny rolled her eyes and flopped onto the couch next to Julie. "Well what else can we do?"

"Investigate?" Julie said with a playful grin. "Why exactly would they want you guys now? Why not annoy you back in the past few months you've been back?"

_Julie does have a point,_ Jenny thought, though it seemed extremely odd that now the shadow men had decided to come for her and her friends, what had they been waiting for.

"Unless," Julie said turning to stare at Jenny with a slightly serious gaze. "_They_ aren't doing anything."

Jenny's eye brows rose. "What do you mean?"

"Well," Julie twisted and stood strait in front of Jenny, her eyes wide with the instant idea that had crept into her mischievous little mind. "Why would the shadow men want you now? Why couldn't they just have taken you in the past, maybe they weren't waiting, but someone else couldn't get your attention until now."

"You mean…" Jenny's voice trailed off and shut her eyes, hoping what her friend was implying wasn't true.

"That maybe I wasn't the only one waiting to find you guys again." Julie said seriously. "He might have somehow gotten his name carved back into the rune stave. And if he did, what's to stop him from coming back?"

"But why would he come back?" Jenny demanded, a bit annoyed about Julie's constant questions.

"Maybe there's something that's changed." Julie countered, "Something that may give him hope that he can win, this time and that you and him can be together."

"You think that?" Jenny couldn't even say it, why was Julie implying that she may have feeling for Julia, sure she had been upset when he disappeared but she had Tom now, and all of her friends she was perfectly happy now.

"I'm not saying that you don't love Tom." Julie defended. "But, I've seen something changed between you, I don't know what but it's there and I can defiantly tell it's there. And maybe Julian has seen it too."

"You're crazy." Jenny said bitterly. "And very devious, it's like you can see inside his head."

Julie shrugged and sat down next to Jenny, placing an arm around her shoulders. "Like I said, I did my research, and it isn't like he wouldn't try would he?"

"He might start a new game." Jenny whispered.

Julie nodded stiffly "You never know."

"So now what do we do Sherlock?" Jenny asked, leaning her head to look at the younger girl.

"That's elementary, Watson." Julie said with a grin. "We know exactly what Julian is going to do, but now we must prepare."

The two girls chuckled softly and started writing down everything that they would need to prepare for another one of Julian's games, while outside, someone watched them carefully a smile on his cruel sadistic face.

"You know what you're going to do now, don't you." The small Shadow man to his right asked curiously, his eyes were completely black and his feet hands were clawed and sharpened to fine point on each tip.

"Of course," Replied the shadow man, narrowing his eyes to get a better look at his prey. "I always do."

"Should we do it now?" The small man asked, more animal then man as he crouched down begging for a chance to catch the girl.

"Patience," The younger shadow man commanded, holding out his hand in a gesture to tell the creature to wait. "We're going to need some help first."

"What will we need?" The crouched creature asked. "Will we need more of us? Or will this be your hunt?"

"This hunt is mine." The monster mused, a cunning smile stretching onto his lips, "This hunt is _mine_."

**Dun, Dun, DUN. Cliff hanger, okay so what do you think is going to happen? Is Julian back? Is another game to come? Review and tell me! **


	9. Get Your Priorities Strait

**Chapter 9 starting now! **

"Hey Thorny," Tom said running up behind her outside in the court yard. They had at least ten minutes until class started also Jenny decided to talk to the one person that she would need the most help from, Tom. Jenny expected it to be a bit awkward though considering that neither one of them had spoken since she had kicked him out of her house. But now there were worst things at stake and she would need everybody's help.

"Hey," Jenny said turning around and putting her cell into her back pack from texting Julie, the last thing she wanted to do was reopen that wound

"What's up? Tom asked, smiling faintly as he started into Jenny's forest green eyes.

"They're back Tom." Jenny said calmly, looking away from his now hardening face. "I'm pretty sure Julian's back, maybe for another game."

"How do you know?" Tom asked.

"Me and Dee heard them whispering in Gym class last week," Jenny admitted. And Julie thinks that maybe,"

"Julie?" Tom interrupted. "Don't tell me she's still at your house."

Jenny sighed and clenched her hands into fists at her sides. "Yes Tom, she is and she isn't a shadow man either, but she knows more about the shadow world then we do."

"Oh really?" Tom asked skeptically. "And how does she?"

"Her father knew my grandfather." Jenny whispered. "And she's read all of their books, she thinks that Julian's back."

"Why?" Tom said louder then before. "Why the hell is that creep coming back now, then?"

"Because something might have changed," Jenny still wouldn't look at Tom but she could tell that her words were making sense to him. "And he might have noticed it too."

"What is it then?" Tom demanded. "What's changed?"

"WE HAVE!" Jenny screamed. "WE'VE CHANGED TOM!"

Tom's face had never been paler, not when he had seen the invisible rats in Julian's house of horrors, not when he had heard that she was going to prom with another guy, and not even when he thought he'd lost Jenny forever.

"Don't you see tom?" Jenny asked bitterly. "We aren't the same anymore. Something has changed and you know it."

"You can't mean that Jen. Tom whispered, his eyes pleading for her to take back her words. "You can't honestly believe,"

"I do Tom," Jenny whispered. "And I know you know you know it too."

"Please Jen," Tom whispered. "Please don't."

"We need to stop thinking about ourselves, now." Jenny said quietly. "We need to think of the others. Zach, Michael, Audrey, Dee, Summer, they'll need us when we have to play against Julian."

"Jenny," Tom whispered. "You just want to end it now? Just because some little shadow world girl thinks-"

"I'm not ending it, Tom." Jenny finally turned and hoped that she would be able to hold herself together. "I think we need some time apart, until we get all this sorted out alright?"

Jenny turned and picked up her back pack, slinging it over her shoulders and walking away without even a second glance, cause she had no idea what he would have done if he saw her cry.

**Short and very sad, they broke up! OMG I know its bad but it had to be done, you'll see why. Review! **


	10. All Fun And Games

**Chapter 10! **

"You broke up with him?" Julie yelled sitting strait up with wide gray eyes. "That is monumentally unexpected."

Jenny, Julie, Summer, and Dee were all sitting on the floor of jenny's living room, waiting for Audrey to come so they could start their "Sleep over". Which was really them trying to plot out what they were going to do about the next game that they might be facing. But instead of planning, Jenny found herself telling her friends what had happened between her and Tom, except some of the more personal details.

"Are you okay? Summer asked, scooting over to sit next to her friend and wrapping her arms around her. "You did the right thing Jen, but I know it still hurts."

Dee nodded, blowing a lose strand of her short dark hair from her eyes. "Sun Bun is right; I couldn't stand the way he was talking about Julie, he was losing it."

Jenny nodded mutely, willing herself not to cry even though if she did, her friends wouldn't mind and were ready to comfort her.

"When is Audrey getting here?" Jenny asked quietly, obviously wanting to change the subject.

"She said she was going to be here in ten," Dee said with a shrug. "Figures, she can never really go anywhere with out pounds of stuff."

Jenny smiled, while Julie stood shaking her still bleached and blue hair. "Who wants to help me dye my hair?" Julie asked a wicked gleam in her naturally dark hazel eyes.

"Why do you want to dye it?" Summer asked, cocking her head to the side. "You don't like it bleached?"

Julie shook her head, a blue of blue and white covered her face as she did. "Nah, I'm hoping to dye it back my natural color."

Dee smiled. "Which is?"

"Black," Julie said with a dramatic turn. "Like my soul."

In the course of the next ten minutes, Julie found herself with her pale head running under water as she dyed her hair back to its somewhat natural color.

"This is normal," Jenny said helping Julie with the hair dye while Dee and Summer watched. "Were holding a young girl underwater while my two friends watch. Fun."

"You take me down," Julie said from the sink, "I'm taking you down with me.

. . .

"So what do you want to do now?" Jenny asked, sifting through the cupboards of the living room entertainment center. Audrey had arrived late so when she did come, Julies head was still in the sink, being dyed black and now the four other girls were sitting on the ground and waiting for an activity to come along so that they wouldn't have to address the serious problem that was son to be at hand.

"How about we play a board game?" Summer suggested with a grin. "One that doesn't have a monster chasing us around a paper house."

Jenny smiled, placing a hand dramatically on her chin and tapping it in place while she scanned the assortment of board games she had for her little brother.

"How about this one?" Julie exclaimed, pushing her now black hair from her eyes as she jumped next to Jenny and reached into the cabinet pulling out candy land. "It's a classic."

Jenny shrugged as Julie dropped the box onto the floor in the lose circle the girls had created.

"I used to love that game. Dee said with a smile as she pulled out a green player. "Except Jenny would always kick my butt."

"Well now you can have your butt kicked by me. Audrey said pulling out a purple player. "How does this game go exactly?"

"It's a trip through candy land." Summer explained picking out a yellow person. "And we have to go past all the people of candy land to get to the candy king."

"I liked the way I used to play it better." Julie said as she pulled out a blue player.

"And how was that?" Jenny asked twirling her own red person in her hands.

"We used to make it harder." Julie said with a grin. "Me and my sister would pretend that Candy Land was a dangerous world, where we would have to make sure that each other would get across safely, like here. She pointed to the first candy citizen who was standing under a plum tree. "He would throw plums at us and we had to find a way to escape, like grabbing lollypop tree and using it to catch the plums." Julie smiled.

"That sounds more fun hen the way we played it." De said with a smile. "I'm taking out her then. He pointed to the candy can lumber jack. "He seems like the only major threat."

"Except when he throws candy can arrows." Jenny said imitating a throwing motion while Dee fell with a deathly sigh.

The girls all laughed and continued to make up their story of the deathly candy land, forgetting about all the horrors of the lost game that they had played, which they would start sooner then they thought.

**Kk obvious clue here…and true story this is what I used to do with my friends and brother because we thought that the original candy land game was a bit dull…yay for using personal experiences! **


	11. The Teenagers Who Cried Wolf

**This ones short but suspenseful. Enjoy,**

"So, any signs of the shadow men?" Julie asked, appearing behind Jenny as she walked outside during their lunch break.

"Do you have like a tracking chip in me or something?" Jenny asked turning around to smile at Julie, the real Julie any way. Julie had her black hair in pig tails and her gray eyes with a little eye liner that made her eyes look darker. Her wardrobe was still the same and reminded Jenny a bit of Julie but Julie had insisted that she just like wearing her cloths.

"Maybe," Julie said with a roll of her eyes as they walked over to where Summer, Zach and Michael were waiting. Julie sat down on the ground in front of Zach and pulled out her book, flipping through it for any facts about the shadow men.

"Anyone hear or see anything yet?" Michael asked linking both arms casually behind his head.

"Not really," Jenny admitted, looking around for her other friends. "Do you know where Audrey and Dee are?"

"They said they were stopping at Audrey's locker to get something," Summer replied, another good thing that had happened after Julian's game was that Summer and Zach had gotten closer, from mere acutances to boyfriend and girlfriend material, and Jenny couldn't be happier. The fact that her cousin and her shy friend had finally found someone that they liked more then a friend was before turning back to her conversation with Zach.

"How far is her locker? Julie asked, looking up from her book. "I went around the school like twice and I didn't see either of them."

Michael shrugged. "They'll get here when they get here."

Julie nodded and turned back to her book while Audrey walked up behind her, a slight put on her usual beautiful tanned face, and her arms full of texts books.

"What's wrong Aud?" Michael asked and she sat down between him and Jenny on the picnic table and put the books on the table top.

"Dee said that she had to do something and that she couldn't help me get my stuff from my locker.' Audrey said with a sigh. "I had to carry all those books by my self."

Michael smiled and gave Audrey a quick peck on the lips before pulling her closer to him. "I'll help you carry your books next time,"

Audrey smiled, "Thank you, Michael."

Three things happened completely in sync at that moment, Julie and Jenny's head shot up and their eyes me for one brief second before turning and staring out to the front, of the court yard by the cafeteria doors. There was a loud piercing scream and every silenced their conversations and turned, curious at the new sound in the usual hum of varies conversations. And lastly a giant bristled figure had someone's legs in its jaws, before turning and allowing Jenny's friends a quick glance at the huge wolf's terrifying face.

**Short, but cliff hanger-y! Oh how I love it. Review! **


	12. Mistake

**Chapter 12 staring now and you shall now start enjoying!**

Suddenly Julie was running at the wolf, while the rest of her friends just stood in horror and watched as she flung herself \at the wolf. She yelled and the wolf turned as Julie kicked it in the face with the sole of one of her spiky boots. It howled in pain and let go of the girl with its leg in its jaws, while Julie landed nimbly on her feet a few feet away from the dark beast.

The girl on the floor screamed again, a scream that was absolutely not Dees but when Julie looked down, her eyes widened. This girl had short dark hair like Dee's but this girl wore a pair of jean shorts and a pink tank top, pink was one color that Dee wouldn't be caught dead in and right now Julie hoped that it wouldn't be the color this girl was caught in either.

Julie ran to the girl and pulled her away from the beast as it turned around and locked its dark eyes on Julie with hatred. Pushing the girl into the arms of a near by teacher, Julie ran at the wolf and jumped again, soaring over it but landing close enough to cut it in the back with one of the knives that she had hidden one of her boots. The wolf cried out and turned directly to Julie, chomping down on her leg and pulling her strait down to the ground.

Dark blood covered the ground around her, probably from the wolf. Even if it was a shadow creature it still could bleed, and with a quick flick Julie turned and was on her back, kicking in the wolf's face with her other foot. She heard a satisfying crunch and the wolf released her leg from its sharp jaws. With another twist she tossed her knife at its throat and the wolf turned back to snap as the in the ribs quickly, before turning and running strait to the woods and disappearing into the shadows.

People walked over to Julie reluctantly, as if she were a wolf that would snap at their necks, but instead she just stood, and whipped her hands on her dark jeans and placed the knife back in her boot. She looked at each of the students faces that surrounded her and smiled, earning a quick cheer from everybody as they all surrounded her to shake her hand or apt her on the back. The girl that the wolf had mistakenly attacked would be alright and thankfully so was Julie.

. . .

"So what did I miss while I was in dentition?" Dee asked as she entered Audrey's spider and sat next to Jenny.

"You missed me fighting a shadow wolf." Julie said as Summer slid in next to Dee and Julie sat up front. "Can we get a bigger car soon? The Scooby- Doo crew gets a mystery van so why can't we get one of those?"

"Because no one has the money?" Jenny asked as she turned to Dee. "It came out of no where and attack some girl that looked like you a little."

"Why would a shadow wolf do that?" Dee asked. "Why not just come into my math teacher's room and attack me? It could've gotten me out of detention."

"Maybe it was mistaken?" Summer asked, rolling down her window slightly.

"How?" Audrey asked. "If it was a shadow wolf it would have gotten Dee no mistake, like last time right?"

"Could it have just been a regular wolf?" Dee suggested. "A huge regular wolf?"

"It could bleed like a regular wolf." Julie said with a mischievous smile. "But it was defiantly a shadow wolf."

"Then why did it mistake that girl for Dee?" Jenny asked skeptically. "Julian wouldn't allow a mistake like that."

"I know he wouldn't." Julie continued. "But maybe that wolf hasn't seen Dee to know her."

"Tom did kill the first shadow wolf." Audrey agreed, shooting Jenny an apologetic glance through the review mirror while she drove as she said Tom's name.

"But wouldn't Julian just show the wolf exactly what Dee looked like or something?' Summer added hesitantly.

Julie nodded. "But not if it wasn't Julian who sent it."

"Someone else from the shadow world?" Dee asked bitterly. "What would that have to do with us? They still pissed because we got away?"

Julie shrugged. "All I know is that Julian wouldn't make a mistake like that wolf had and I know that next time there won't be any more mistakes."

**Chapter 12 over and there was action and fighting! That Dee missed…darn it. Review and tell me what your mischievous little minds are thinking. **


	13. Let The Games Begin

**Chapter 13, enjoy!**

The next day at school, Jenny didn't see Tom at all.

The day after their break up shed seen him through the halls and even if one or to of her classes like always but not today. At lunch she ran to Michael who had more classes with Tom then she had and asked him if he'd seen Tom at all today but he told her that he hadn't. That's when Jenny started to worry.

"I think something happened to Tom." Jenny said to Julie as Julie scrolled in her combo to her locker completely at ease.

She pulled open the door and tossed her books inside before turning to Jenny her gray eyes surprisingly relaxed despite the things jenny had told her. "Have you called him?'

Jenny paled and raised her hands. "Have I called him? Tom isn't even here and you want to know if I've called him, we're in school if you hadn't noticed and im really worried about him. What if the creeper got him or the Lurker and he's being tormented right now by-"

Julie slapped Jenny.

Jenny's eye widened as she stared at the girl in front of her, her hand now at her side as she stared back at Jenny completely at ease. "I did that only to stop you, you were going into hysterics in front of everyone." Julie cocked her head to the side and whispered something like out and there were suddenly footsteps padding across the hallway floor in a hurry to get away.

"Nice," Jenny mumbled leaning against the row of metal lockers.

"Perks of fighting a wolf," Julie said leaning standing next to Jenny. "Now call Tom okay?"

Jenny sighed and pulled out her phone, typing in Tom's number and pulling it to her ear as the first dial tone beeped. It rang nearly seven times before someone picked it up.

"Hello?" Tom's dull voice answered and sent a wave of steadiness through Jenny as she closed her eyes.

"Hello?" Tom repeated, and Jenny opened her eyes and took in a shaky breath.

"Hi, Tom." She whispered.

There was a long pause then finally Tom asked. "What do you want?"

"I just want to make sure your okay." Jenny admitted. "There was a wolf attack yesterday and-"

"I'm fine." Tom interrupted dully. "I just didn't feel like going to school today."

"Okay," Jenny replied. "Just be careful alright? I don't want you to-"

Tom hung up the phone and left Jenny holding hers with no one to talk to.

"Is he okay?" Julie asked, leaning her shoulder against the lockers, and raising an eyebrow.

"Yea," Jenny replied putting her phone in her pocket before turning to Julie with an apologetic expression.

"You want to go check on him after school." Julie noted with a sly smile.

"Can we?" Jenny asked, pushing herself off the lockers and started walking down the abandoned hallway.

"I'm not the one driving." Julie said lifting up her hands as she followed Jenny. "But if you really want to, sure."

. . .

Tom wanted to die. He sat on his bed wit his face down into the pillow, Jenny's sweet voice ringing in his head no mater how many times he'd try to push it away. Why had he answered his phone, why hadn't he'd just let it keep ringing?

He shut his eyes tighter and placed his hands over his head, trying to get the noise out of his ears. Someone knocked on his bed room door and he groaned, getting up to walk over to it. He pulled it open and blinked into the brighter sun light that he'd kept from his bedroom since the day began. He looked around the empty living room then shrugged, wanting to turn and go back to his crypt but now someone was knocking on his front door. With another sigh he walked lazily move to the door and pulled it open, blinking outside into the sunlight. He took a step outside, and then looked down, taking a step back but realizing it was too late. Tom fell down into a black hole that he'd completely missed because he was too depressed to see the giant black hole that was waiting for him on the other side. Tom blinked getting one last glimpse of the bright sun and then in the next second vanished.

. . .

Tom's house was a small suburban one with blue trimming and yellow walls. As Jenny stepped out of her parent's car and out onto the familiar pavement that she and Tom had played on as kids, she instantly knew something was wrong. The front door of Tom's home was open, not slightly but wide open like someone had run through it and didn't bother to shut it, and as Jenny walked up to his doorstep with Julie by her side, she knew why. Sitting on the doorstep was a tiny candy land player, but one completely different from the one the girls had been playing with the few days before. This one had Tom's face and cloths on it, and was standing on top of a laminated card, with the candy land logo on it. Jenny crouched down to pick up the card and read it, shutting her eyes before shed even finished the second sentence. Julie ran to her friend and sat on her knees, putting her arm around the older girl's shoulders and inspecting the card. She looked down at the doorstep where there was a small ring with black scorch marks, and instantly knew a terrible fact.

That Tom had been taken, and that the game had just begun.

**What does the card say? Review and tell me your guesses! **


	14. Put To Sleep

**Let The Games Begin! Enjoy **

"Toms gone," Julie said standing at the front of the room with the white card in her hand. "And the game has only just begun."

Michael, Audrey, Zach, Dee, Summer and, Jenny all sat around Jenny's living room. The moment Jenny had found out what happened to Tom, she asked Julie to call them and tell them what was going on. In less then a half hour they were all sitting in the same place that the first game had started, and now it was time again to play another.

"We found this," Julie held up the small white card. "When we foundTom'splayer." She repeated the words that shed already memorized.

_Welcome to the game, where sweet treats turn sour and good dreams turn into Nightmares. _

_This isn't the last time someone can be taken, and now its time for the games to begin. _

_You know how to get inside, but it'll take all your strength to get out. _

Julie looked up at her friends who were all staring at her with horror stricken expressions, pleading with Julie that they didn't have to do, what they needed too. But Julie couldn't let that happen.

"I've got the game." Julie continued, pulling out the Candy Land box and placing it on the table. "But were going to need an Uruz rune, and we might have to swear again." needed Audrey nodded and stood, walking with Michael to get a knife from the kitchen and some other utensils that they may have needed as they went into the shadow world.

When they came back, Audrey was holding six huge knives which she passed to them to her friends for protection. Summer shook her head, auburn curls twisting and twirling as she did. "I don't know how to use one."

Zach smiled and picked up the knife and one for himself, placing them in his back pack that he brought. "Don't worry, I do."

Jenny picked up one of the knives as did Audrey and Dee, and Michael. Michael turned to Julie, with one of his knives but she shook her head, pulling out one that shed kept in her boot. "For protection."

Jenny smiled and pulled the lid off the candy land box, nearly dropping the lid when she saw a slip of white paper with the oath written on it.

"That wasn't there when we played." Summer whispered, pushing herself closer to Zach.

"Something tells me that that's not the only change." Jenny agreed picking up the paper oath and reading it out loud for everyone to hear. When she was done, everyone had extremely serious expressions.

"I swear," Jenny said.

"I swear, Dee said with a grin. "I can't wait to get another crack at some shadow men."

"I swear," Audrey said gripping her knife and Michaels hand tightly.

"I swear, Michael said pulling his girl friend closer.

"I swear," Summer whispered, looking down at her hands.

"I swear," Zach said in the same monotone he always did.

"I swear," Julie said, putting her knife back in her boot.

There was a single beat of silence and no one really knew how to continue but finally Jenny did. She picked up the game board and placed it flat against the table, and picked up the players with a gasp.

Each of the players had the faces of Jenny and he friends, down to the cloths that they wore. Jenny handed each of her friends their players, looking at them with slight interest, Julie was the first one to speak.

"This is going to be fun," She said with a smirk and picked up one of the candy land cards as she placed mini Julie on the candy Land path with the rest of the player. "Welcome to the world you've been to before, but to a game that you don't expect, Oh great."

Jenny smiled slightly and picked up her own card. "You've played these games before, but now instead of a candy kingdom at the end, it's your freedom."

Audrey sighed and picked up her own card. "You hear a hum, and when you turn around no one is there."

A loud hum echoed through the walls of the Thornton living room, getting louder as the seconds ticked by.

Dee picked up her card quickly and read it loudly. "When the noise dulls, your eye lids get heavy." Almost as if on cue Dee yawned slightly, while the humming started to fade as if someone had come and went.

"My turn," Summer mumbled sleepily and picked up her own card. "You feel sleep call to you and you all give yourselves to it." Summer yawned and closed her blue eyes, leaning on Zach slightly as he picked up his card.

"The next time you close your eyes you don't open them." He yawned wider and started dozing off like everyone at the table. Michael reached for his card but fell asleep before he could get to it. Jenny reached for his card and read it out loud for him.

"And next you find yourselves in Candy…Land." Jenny yawned and shut her eyes falling asleep on the table with Julie and everyone else, as they were taken to Candy Land.

**Yay its time for the game, finally! Review! **


	15. Rememberance

Jenny's head was throbbing.

She'd never had, had a head ache as bad as the one she had now since the first time she'd played one of Julian's sick games. She pushed herself up on her hands and knees, her fingers tangling in fine soft strand soft things.

Grass.

But this grass was much softer then usual grass, and the color was off to. The grass was bright green, nearly yellow and extremely soft, not like anything that Jenny had ever seen, because there was no where that had grass like this. At least not in her own world.

Something stirred next to her and Jenny turned, facing Julie who was sitting up and rubbing the back of her head wit one of her hands.

"That wasn't pleasant." She remarked as she stood up, shaking her tumble of black hair. Jenny turned around and saw that everyone was standing up, all looking like they had severe head aches like her own, that seemed to worsen as she stood.

"Is everyone okay?" Jenny asked, looking around at her friends. Zach's pony tail had become loose but he still looked like Zach, stiff yet calm in his dark jacket and plain white tee shirt. Summer looked a little disheveled in her flowery patterned skirt and blouse, her hair a swirl of red curls. Audrey's hair was a bit more messed up then she would have usually preferred, her tight fitting jeans and silky mauve top clinging to her body as if she hadn't been taken away from Jenny's living room to the shadow world.. Michael's spaniel eyes help slight fear as he gazed down at his girl friend, his dark hair tumbling into his eyes and his tee shirt slightly ruffled. Dee looked like she always did, an African princess beautiful, elegant and deadly if you let her get the chance to show you. In her cameo half jacket and black tank top and dark pants, that eventuated her long legs. Julie's hair still fell down in its pig tails and her black shirt had seemed to be dirtier then when they fell asleep, but her dark tee shirt and jacket looked fine, and even the plaid tie that shed worn to school looked the same when they fell asleep, casting the only other color in her wardrobe. Jenny herself just looked like that shed gotten the wind knocked out of her in her dark jeans and red sweater.

There was a chorus of yes's and okay's but no one honestly meant it, they were all looking around them. They found themselves in a meadow, with bright green yellow grass and tall trees and a clear blue sky with a sun that you'd only seen in movies.

"So this is Candy land." Michael said, putting a arm around Audrey's waist. "I always thought it would be…sweeter."

"We're not there yet." Julie told him, looking around for something. "We have to pass a sign that says candy land and then we start out journey, this is kind of a before place."

"Well why are we here?" Summer asked, holding onto Zach's hand. "Why didn't he just let us go strait to the game?"

"Because this is a new game." Jenny realized, "And he probably wants to explain the rules."

"Just so he can break them." Dee muttered, picking up a blade of perfect grass and examining it between her fingers.

Everyone nodded and Julie spun in a tight circle. "Well where is he? If he's going to play with us then the least he can do is show up."

"Yea," Audrey agreed cupping her hands around her mouth. "Come on Julian, where here, let's get this started!"

"I'm sorry," A deep velvety voice said and every head snapped up and stared at a man, whose face was covered by the shadows. "But Julian can't come out to play; I guess you'll just have to settle for little old me."

"Who are you?" Jenny asked. "And what did you do with Tom?"

"Me?" The figure gestured to himself, and Jenny could just tell he was grinning. "Why not call me, well the Shadow man? That seems good, doesn't it? Has a good ruing to it, I think."

"What ever you call yourself, show us your face." Julie called, accusingly. "And tell us what you've done with Tom, it isn't quite fair that you've already stole someone from our team before the game has even begun."

"Why Julie," The voice said with uncalled for amusement. "You've got to be a little patient don't you know that?"

Julie rolled her eyes, as Dee walked up next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I don't think any of us are in the mood for one of your little mind games." She said with a glare to the dark. "Now are you going to tell us what you've done with Tom or not?"

"He was an accident," The man said causally, like he was talking about the weather or if he was just talking about what was going on in his day. "My Lurker must have done a better job then the original because it was just supposed to leave the card and leave down the hole, not drag a human with it."

"Well whatever it did accidently, happened." Michael said calmly, but even Jenny could tell his arm on Audrey tensed. "Now give him back, so we can start."

"Uh, uh, uh." The shadow man said waging a steady finger. "He's mine now, but don't worry, I think I can arrange a replacement for you."

"We don't want a replacement." Jenny yelled. "We want Tom back."

"Well we don't always get what we want, now do we Jennifer?" The dark and evil shadow man asked.

"He's wasting our time." Julie said with a sigh and started to turn. "Why don't we just start playing and ignore him, if we do then well be able to finish much faster."

"Do you really think that, Julietta?" The voice sounded slightly colder then before.

Julie froze, half turned away and half facing him then completely turned around to glare to the shadows. "You've been spying on me two huh? Well I do think that, and I would rather deal with your mindless chatter later when we don't have a game to win and a friend to save." She dropped her gaze slightly. "But a monster like you wouldn't understand that, would you?"

"Julietta," The voice whispered and this time Julies head shot up with a furious glare.

"You have no right, to call me that." She growled. "Not after the things you and the rest of you put me through."

The Shadow man was silent then he started to laugh. It was loud, and unbelievably dark, and it made Jenny shudder for no reason that she could understand. "Fine, Julie." He said between laughs. "We'll let you get started, but first I have two gifts for all of you."

The Shadow man snapped his fingers and another figure appeared slightly behind him on his left side, He wasn't as tall as the shadow man was, but could have been passed off just as scary considering that they were both secluded in the dark. The shadow man stepped forward, his hand on the figure behind him's shoulder, having to drag him along through the shadows and revealed a man with haunting black eyes and dark hair to match. He as older then any of Jenny's friends and might have been around the age of his parents, his back eyes were locked on Julie's and when she looked up, she took a deep breath.

Jenny looked at the figure next to the older man, with snowy white hair and indescribably blue eyes that she'd hadn't seen in person for months. Julian, had finally returned to the game after all, but that wasn't why Julie's eyes were wide and her mouth hung open.

The shadow man smiled wickedly, and jerked Julian forward, his gaze still at the unnatural colored graze as he was pulled.

Julie's shut her eyes for a second and when she opened them, they were filled with a multitude of things, hurt, shock, lostness, fear, and something that almost, recognized the figure, and she whispered. "Daddy?"


	16. Its Time To Play

**Chapter 16! Enjoy **

"Daddy?" Julie whispered again.

The Shadow man smiled, wider, a grim and evil smile of someone who knows something that everyone knows not. "So you do remember your father, then?"

"Daddy, what are you doing here?" Julie asked, her voice rising uncontrollably "I thought…I thought…"

"That I'd died?" The man sneered. "I'm not that weak now am I? Or at least I'm not anymore."

"That's your father?" Jenny asked, turning to her younger friend and the moment she spoke, Julian's head shot up and his eyes locked on Jenny.

"Of course I am, Jennifer." Answered Julie's father. "The moment that I'd realized where I was, I pleaded with the other hw man that I was like them, that I was just as capable as being a shadow person as them, and in some cases, he glared down at Julian, like he was a disgusting insect. "More so."

"It's a trick, Julie." Michael insisted, "He's just lying to you to get you weaker, and then hell get you too, just like Tom."

"Am I really Julie?" The shadow man asked, staring into her dark gray eyes. "I'm your father, your own flesh and blood. I was there when you were born, and your sister Emily too. I was there when you first went to kindergarten, and when your grand mother passed away. And I saw your little face as I was dragged into the freeing shadow world, right in front of your eyes."

Julie blinked again, and took a step back; shaking her head furiously, as if when she shook it all the truth would come out and she couldn't remember the day her father was taken away. "That's impossible."

"Is it?" The monster inquired. "Haven't you always felt someone around you, someone watching over you while you didn't notice it? I've been right by your side all these years, making sure that you were alright."

"Julie…" Dee whispered, reaching out her hand.

"Why?" Julie asked. "Why haven't you ever told me you were there? All those years I cried myself to sleep, knowing that nothing in any of the nine worlds could bring my father back! Bring you back!"

The Shadow man shook him head, "You know I've always wanted too, you have to know that, sweetie." He looked down away from his daughters hardening face. "But that's all in the past, and now its time that we start over." When he looked up, his eyes were soulless black, with absolutely no white at all. "And for a new game to begin. Julie, sweetie, I'm giving you one chance to come back with me, so we can be part of the shadow world together. As father and daughter instead of having you have to fight for your freedom." He raised his hand for her to take. "Will you join me?"

Julie shook her head half hearted. "I…I can't. Daddy…you…you left me. And you left Emily to, and now look at you, you're…you're a monster."

Jenny thought that the Shadow man would have recoiled as if Julie had slapped him, but instead he just smiled, and turned to Julian, his grin never wavering. "You have fun playing, alright Julian?" He asked, and with that he disappeared into the shadows, without another word.

Julie, fell to her knees slowly, grabbing the bright grass for support and stared down at her hands. Her black hair hid her face like a veil, but Jenny knew what she might have looked like. Her father, who had been gone for so long, just comes back and now he's a monster, forcing a new game of his daughter, and the peoples she'd, been trying to help.

Jenny walked over to her friend and sank down onto her knees, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Julie," Jenny whispered and she could swear that she heard Julie's voice break as she fought tears from escaping. Jenny pulled the younger girl into her arms and Julie, went willingly, her eyes dripping tears that shed been holding since she saw her father.

"It's going to be okay," Jenny whispered as her arms went around Julie. "I promise it will, things will get better. Well beat him, and well get out, and you can tell your family the truth when we do, I promise you will."

Julie shook her head slightly and when Jenny turned back to look at her, her face was a mix of fury.

"I'm going to beat him." Julie whispered. "And when I do, I'll free him. He may not like it now, but soon he will and then I might finally have closure."

Jenny smiled and stood up, pulling the other girl with her as she did and turned to her friends. "Now, we know who were playing. Let's get the game started."

"Jenny?" Summer said, her big blue eyes focusing on something behind her.

"You're forgetting our replacement." Audrey said with a frown as she pursed her lips nervously as she stared at what summer was staring at.

Jenny and Julie turned and stared at Julian, who was looking back down, as if he didn't want to see the people before him. Jenny bit her lip, knowing that they could just leave him here, but if they did what would happen to him?

Julie on the other hand rolled her eyes and turned pulling one of the knives from her boot and twirling it as she crossed the meadow. Once she was about six feet away she turned, cocking her head to the side and stopped twirling her weapon. "Are we playing or not?"

"What do we do about him?" Dee asked, jerking her head in Julian's direction.

"If he wants to play, then he'll play." Julie decided walking back over to the group, but walking past them to the spot where Julian sat. "Well?" She asked, leaning down to his level. "What's it going to be, shadow man?"

Julian raised his head slowly and his blue eyes met Julie's dark gray ones. His mouth twitched up slightly at the corners of his mouth. "Let's play."

**Seriously, did you not see that coming? I didn't either till like two days ago. **


	17. Underestimation

**Chapter 17! Enjoy! **

The biggest shock since Jenny had come back to the shadow world would have to be, Julie not having anything to say, as they started for the candy land path. Usually Julie was a fire work of energy, talking a mile a minute on any subject, but the moment that shed seen the father that had been taken from her when she was just nine years old, completely destroyed the Julie Jenny and the rest of her friends knew. Now as they walked through the brightly colored meadow to start the game of Candy Land, she could only think how she could bring back the old and lovably Julie that since they'd met and she revealed who she really was, had comforted Jenny when she needed it and gave her strength when she didn't have it.

"Julie?" Jenny asked, as she walked next to the younger girl. "You okay?"

Julie nodded mutely, her eyes fixed on something far away, but when she spoke her voice was unnaturally calm. "I'm actually okay…" She said as she turned to Jenny, her gaze like the first time that Jenny had seen her in the cafeteria. "I'm actually sort of glad, that I know what he is, but I still can't believe he is, on of them." She gestured silently to the back of their group, where Julian was trailing a few feet behind. "But I've read about all the things that the shadow men would do to their prisoners," She shook her head slowly. "I don't think I could have handled it, if I saw him like..."

Jenny nodded, fighting back a shudder as she remembered what they had done to her grandfather in the penny arcade of Joyland Park, or at least the shadow men's creepy remark of it, like the one that Jenny had known when she was little. "It's not pretty."

"So," Julie asked, grinning her mischievous smile and turning around so she now walked back wards to face the group, but kept a steady pace with the rest of her friends. "Do we have any idea where were going?"

Michael shrugged and looked behind him reluctantly. "I think he would know more then any of us."

Julie rolled her eyes and started walking forward, as her friends side stepped from her way and stopped in front of Julian, who took a step back and didn't look up at her face.

"Julian," She said calmly and Jenny could swear that she saw Julian flinch. "Do _you_ have any idea exactly where were going?"

Julian shook his head slightly.

"Are you going to say anything?" Julie asked, cocking her head to the side. "Because if you aren't, this isn't going to go as smoothly as planned."

"I don't know anything," Julian mumbled slightly under his breath. "I just came back yesterday, and even then no one tells me anything, anyway. I'm a disgrace."

Julie rolled her eyes again and grabbed Julian's chin, making him look into her dark eyes. "I am in no mood to have to get you out of your pity party, alright? Now your can call yourself a disgrace, just like every other shadow man, or you can actually prove yourself to them and us by helping us beat my father's game. And I'm telling you right now, if I ever, and I mean ever, feel that you aren't playing for our side, or that your trying to cause Jenny, Dee or anyone else here any problems, I will not hesitate to hurt you. Got it?"

Julian glared at Julie, and then his mouth pulled up at the corners in a sly smile. "And how are you, little girl, going to hurt me?"

What happened next, Jenny thought was completely fair. Julie's kind of did a double take, her smile fading slightly before she twisted it into a new smile, a cunning and clever one that told anyone who looked at it, _well, you asked for it_. She pulled back her arm and dropped Julian's chin, throwing all her weight into her right hand and punched Julian, the prince of the shadow men, strait into the face.

Obviously, he wasn't expecting this and the blow took him by surprise, forcing him to fall backwards and onto his back, and while Julie stood over him, placing her left foot on his chest and keeping him pinned to the ground under her unknown strength. Julian blinked uncertainly and looked back at the group of teenagers, staring with mixed expressions of horror, surprise and slight joy.

Julie leaned down, pressing more weight on Julian's chest as she did. "Never, underestimate me, Julian."

She spun around, lifting the leg that had been on Julian's chest in a wide round house kick, and planted it firmly on the ground, half turned to Julian. She blinked, and game him a soft innocent smile before turning away back to the head of the crowd, eyes watching her with her every step.

"Come on," She said, as she walked under a low tree branch. "Let's play."

**Oh Julie, taking charge and kicking butt along the way, but will it last? Idk review **


	18. Playing Fairly

**Shortie and I'm posting it just cause! Lol enjoy chapter 18**

"Are we there yet?" Dee asked for the sixth time and Julie smiled, shaking her head knowing that it irritated everyone in their group.

"Stop asking Dee." Jenny pleaded as they walked and finally stopped at a large opening in the forest.

"Well," Michael said with a small grin. "This looks promising."

The meadow before them had stopped and a few feet before them was a square about three feet wide and made of bright red brick. The next square was the same size but purple and then yellow, blue, orange, and green. To the left of the road was a wooden sign and an arrow painted with black letters.

Julie grinned. "Great, we made it."

Summer nodded, her soft curls going around her shoulders. "I can't wait to start."

Zach turned to her, "Why is that?"

Summer shrugged her tiny shoulders. "I've always loved this game, but now we get to play it for real." Her blue eyes widened when she said the last two words.

"But this won't be the same game." Audrey corrected, pursing her light pink lips, which sparkled under the bright sun. "This game will be scarier."

"And tougher." Dee agreed, flashing her barbaric smile. "I can't wait either Sunny Bunny."

"You guys ready?" Jenny asked, turning around to face her friends.

Audrey's hair was around her shoulders, shed let it grow in the past few months and a teasing smile on her lips, as she nodded looking up between spiky lashes. Michael gave Jenny a quick nod; his usual sarcastic spaniel eyes were serious. Dee nodded, punching the air twice and getting into monster fighting position. Sumer nodded and held onto Zach's hand tightly, and nodded too. Zach crackled a slight smile; he'd always done that at the oddest times and squeezed Summer's hand reassuringly. Julie nodded, and reached into her boot, pulling out a knife and putting it in the belt of her skirt, her gray eyes were apprehensive for what ever was waiting for them on the other side of that colorful road.

Lastly, Jenny looked at Julian; his dawn eyes were more sullen then usual as they peaked behind his white hair and game Jenny a small smile along with a nod of his own.

Jenny smiled and turned around, thinking about Tom, and their first kiss. Would things ever be that innocent again? So sweet, so pure? It didn't matter; all that did was that now Jenny had the chance to save him, from a different monster this time. "Let's go."

. . .

"What are you doing?" The older shadow man asked, as the younger one sat down on a chair made of thorns and branches deep in the forest. He looked down at the little group of teenagers that were trying to defeat him, but they never would and he knew it.

"Playing the game." The shadow man reassured as the other shadow man spit on the ground with a grimace.

"Why didn't you just take her?" He asked, reaching out for the young ones hand. "You could have just stolen her away, prevent the disgraces mistake from happening to you."

"Because," The Shadow man smiled and cocked his head to the side to look at the creature that he'd used for help. The thought that one day the might turn into something like it, more animal then man was horrifying, but years away for him to think about. "Then we wouldn't be playing fairly."

**Having fun? I am, obviously someone wants to stick to the rules…for now at least. And they've finally made it to the rainbow road, I personally can't wait until they start playing…can you? **


	19. Don't Touch The Merchandise

**Chapter 19, Welcome officially to Candy Land! **

"Okay, this sucks." Julie said as she jumped onto another colorful square brick. It usually takes us like what, ten squares to get to Plumpy, but we've been walking for like an hour."

Dee rolled her eyes and kept striding along the rainbow path, never seeming to ever run out of energy. "It hasn't been that long."

"Well I can't really know can I?" Julie asked. "The shadow men stole my watch."

Jenny felt to her pocket for her own cell phone, which her parents had given her for safety purposes and found it absent. _Figures_, she thought. _We can't know what time it is until we get back, or lose the game. _

"Is there a time limit on this game?" Summer asked, pushing a strand of red fluffy hair behind her ear. "Like the first game?"

"We forgot to ask." Michael said bitterly. "Guess we'll have to next time we seen The Shadow man."

"What makes you think that we'll be seeing him?" Audrey asked, not seeing Julie flinch.

"When we first played with Julian, he played a part in most of our nightmares, so what if in this game, the shadow man plays the parts here." Michael explained.

"If he is," Dee said with a grin. "I can't wait to see him in the queen's dress."

Jenny smiled at her wild friend. "Now that would be a truly scary nightmare."

Everyone in the group laughed a little, except Julian, who still trailed at the back of the group trying not to be there. The eight of them continued down the long twisting road of Candy Land until Dee stopped something ahead.

"Hey, look. She said, craning her neck high to see something in the distant. "I think I see the plum tree."

"Really?" Jenny asked, trying to see what her friend could se and got the top of a brightly colored plum tree. "Dee's right, come on."

Jenny started to walk faster, along with everyone else and finally broke into a jog as Dee and Julie past her, eager to get to their first challenge. Eventually they stopped about ten feet from the tree, Dee smiling cleverly while Julie cocked her head curiously to the side.

"It doesn't _look _all that dangerous." She said turning around. "It's just like the game come to life."

Everyone stopped to stare at what Dee and Julie had already seen. Before them was a tree, about six or seven feet tall dotted here and there with plums that couldn't be seen in the real world. Below it was a creature covered in green hair, twisting up to two horns on his head. In one hand he held an already half eaten plum, and with his other hand he picked more of them and placed them in small brown bucket. He didn't seem to notice that they had arrived so he continuously put more of his treats in the pale, while eating a few in while he did his job.

"What are we supposed to do?" Zach whispered, smartly keeping his voice low so that the creature couldn't hear them.

"Ask Julie," Audrey whispered looking at the younger girl who was reaching for her knife. "This is her game."

Julie whipped her head around and shot an un-amused glance at Audrey. "If it was _my_ game, I wouldn't put the rest of you through it. And what me and Emily used to do was that we had to get one of the treats from the people here. If we got a piece of each one and to the castle, we won." She shrugged. "I guess the same rules apply."

She smiled and started walking to toward the creature, which looked up as she approached and let a wide grin cross his face.

"Well hi there." He said in a deep voice that at the same time was animated and playful. "I'm Plumpy, what's your name little girl?"

Instead of hurting the green man, like Julie had wanted to do when anyone called her little girl, she leaned down to the Creatures size, which was about four feet tall, and gave him a soft innocent smile. "My name's Julie."

Plumpy smiled and gave Julie a short wave. "Welcome to my plum tree, Julie. Is there anything that I can do for you?"

Julie smiled wider. "Do you think that I could have one of your plums?" She asked sweetly. "I've heard that they're so good, and so sweet. Do you think you could let me pick one?"

Plumpy looked up at the girl uneasily then over her shoulder at the rest of her group who were staring at her reluctantly. "Well Julie, I don't know…I don't really like people to take my plums. Maybe next time..."

Julie shook her head and straitened up, walking over to the tree and reaching for the nearest plum. "I'm sorry, Plumpy, but we really need it to-"

There was a loud splitting sound, like someone had smacked a piece of wood until it fell apart and Julie felt her grip on the plum, clutch onto her wrist. She looked down and saw a dark green haze surround her ankles.

"Julie!" Someone cried from behind her and in the next second, Julie saw what they were screaming about. The sweet gingerbread face that had once been on the tree had change, and an evil smirk of a face had taken its place. Its mouth was open, and beyond it Julie could see a bright green void, where green smoke had started to come out.

Julie instantly pulled her hand back, but5 the grip on her wrist tightened and when she looked, she saw it wasn't a hand that had her, but a long branch curled into a human hand.

"Julie!" She heard someone new scream and felt someone's strong arms around her, attempting to pull her free from the tree.

"Come on!" She heard Michael yell pulling her back farther as her wrist screamed in protest.

"My knife!" Julie yelled, raising her leg to try to kick the branch free.

Suddenly Jenny was at her side, pulling out her knife and slashing at the plant's hand.

Another scream sounded behind her and Jenny turned slightly, she could see things rising from the ground, with arms like the one that held Julie. She saw Audrey, kicking at one wit her spiked boot, while another crept up behind Summer and gripped at her arm, while Zach tried to cut her free. Dee jumped, out of the grip of one of the arms and ran over to help Audrey as she was pulled down to the earth by an arm around her ankle.

"Audrey!" Michael yelled and Jenny told him to help her while his hands were replaced with a new pair of hands, slimmer leaner ones, and ones that were much stronger.

"Keep cutting!" Julian told Jenny as the branch jerked Julie forward roughly. She looked up at the people around her, and saw that her hand had dropped the plum, that still hung loosely on the branch.

"Jenny, get the plum." Julie told Jenny who was still trying to cut Julies arm free. "Forget me and get the plum."

Jenny turned to Julie for one second, to stare at her like she was crazy and with a nod she turned and reached for one of the plums. Another branch jumped out at her, and with a quick flash, Julian's arm was in the trees vise grip, taking Jenny's place as she pulled at the purple fruit.

"Come on!" Julie yelled as the grip swung her against the trunk, and she knew why. She looked down at the tree that's mouth hung openly, allowing her a peak at its green center, the branch that held her was pulling her down into its jaws, in a few seconds she could be completely swallowed. Jenny cut at the plums stem feverishly and suddenly, it came free into her hand, then the world stilled.

The grip on Julie and Julian's arm loosened and they fell onto the ground that had suddenly turned cold and gray, like concrete. She turned and saw that the tree's mouth still hung open in its ghastly expression, but it to was covered in concrete. Jenny landed next to Julie's side lightly, holding the plum securely in her hand as she reached with her other one to help Julie up.

Julie smiled and took Jenny's hand willingly, standing up and looking over to see how her friends had faired. Audrey, Summer, Zach, Dee and Michael, all stood silently, scattered around where Julie had seen them last, staring down at the hands that had been frozen into the ground, twig like fingers still open, clawing at the air.

"How did it stop?" Summer asked, looking around at everyone curiously, her blue eyes wide.

"Jenny got the plum." Julian replied, speaking for the first time.

"We get what we need, and then everything stops." Dee remarked, nodding softly. "Easier then I thought."

Audrey shot a half hearted glare at her friend, through her dark spiky lashes. "Not easy enough."

"At least we have it." Michael agreed, placing a hand on Audrey's shoulder. "And now we can keep going."

"Yea," Julie agreed, taking the plum from Jenny's hand softly and shrugging off the small black back pack that she'd been wearing. Since it blended with the rest of her wardrobe, Jenny hadn't even noticed it until it was on the ground, casting the only other color beside the gray. She pulled it open and placed the fruit inside, then shut it, and put it back on. "Now we have one down, what's next?"

"Who's next," Jenny corrected. "Is Mr. Mint, the lumberjack from the peppermint forest."

Dee smiled. "Great!"

Michael rolled his eyes. "If I get my head or anything else chopped off, I blame you."

Audrey laughed; her auburn curls jingling as she did, and squeezed Michael's hand. "I'll make sure the peppermint man he won't hurt you, Mikey."

Jenny smiled. "At least we'll more prepared this next time."

Everyone nodded, and Jenny handed Julie back her knife which she put back in her boot with a familiar and mischievous grin.

"Let's get going." Zach said, as he noticed Summer staring at one of the stone hands.

And they went, down the rainbow brick road to the next challenge that the Shadow man had in store for them.

**What will happen next? More violence and action…and axes! Yes! To the peppermint forest! And please review on your way! **


	20. Leave It Alone

**Shorter but I'm writing chapter 21 as you read so please be patient. **

"Seems that you've done a god job." A velvety voice commented making everyone in the group of eight freeze and turn, except for Julie, who just froze and stared out into the distance.

"Glad you enjoyed the show." Dee sneered, glaring at the shadow man with distaste.

"What do you want?" Julie asked, her back still turned at her father.

"You won't even look at your own father will you?" The shadow man asked, with a mock sense of sadness. "After all the things I've done for you."

"Get to the point, Benjamin." Julie replied. "We all just want to finish this."

Benjamin shook his head, his dark hair falling into his eyes. "You're really not glad to see your father are you?"

Julie whipped her head around and gave him a murderous glare. "I'm sick of your damn games." She snapped. "Now tell us what the hell you want."

The shadow man smirked and in a blink he disappeared, and then reappeared right in front of Julie, jerking her head up by her chi and making her meet his cold stare. "You shouldn't talk to your father like that, Julietta."

"You're not my father." Julie shot back meaning ever word, no matter how much it killed her inside.

"Just because you want it to be true," Benjamin whispered, for her and her alone. "Doesn't mean that it will be."

Julie shook her head from his grip and glared at him with extreme hatred. "What do you want?"

The Shadow man grinned and pat her head, to quick for her to have time to cringe back, and turned back to the group. "I just wanted to tell you all that no, there isn't a time limit on this game, it's a game of if you and your group survives."

Jenny shook her head and looked up at Julie's father. "So if we die here, we die in reality?"

Benjamin smiled. 'This _is _your reality, Jenny. And no, you don't. "You're just captured by yours truly." He gestured to himself. "And unless one of you gets to the castle at the end, you stay here."

"You're combining all of Julian's games together." Michael realized and Benjamin nodded.

"Exactly, Mr. Cohen. Now if you'll all excuse me, I have some work to do." He gave the eight teens a quick wave and turned to his daughter, who was looking away from him. "Mind your manners my darling."

"Go to hell." Julie whispered back as the shadow man disappeared, and turned to her other friends. "No time limit, that means if we want to stop and rest, we can. But we have to be careful; we'll never know what he'll have waiting for us."

Everyone nodded, even Julian who was staring at Julie with the oddest expression. Julie walked over to Dee, shrugging off her back pack and handing it to the older girl. "If anyone can keep this safe, it's you."

Dee smiled and took the bag from Julie, shrugging it on with ease as Julie turned to the rest of her friends awkwardly.

Audrey was the first to break the silence. "Julie, you can't let him get to you like that, _N'est-pas?_"

Julie looked at Audrey and shook her head. "_Le laisser seul._"

Audrey pursed her lips and nodded, "_Ce que vous dites._"

Michael looked between Audrey and Julie. "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing." Julie and Audrey said at once and then smiled slightly at one another.

"Let's get going." Zach remarked, as she started down the path with summer, hand in hand. "We don't know if it can get dark here, and I personally don't want to be here long enough to find out."

**Yay for French conversations! Luckily I know a bit of French so I know what these peoples are talking about. Lol, so little bit of a struggle between Julie and her dad, how will that turn out? Review please **


	21. Cut Down To Size

**Chapter 21, I told you I was posting it! Lol enjoy **

"Do any of you smell that?" Dee asked suddenly, cocking her head to the side slightly.

Jenny stopped and inhaled deeply, smelling the scent that her friend had spoken off. It was something sharp and well defined, while still being sweet.

"Peppermint," Audrey replied. "When we were still traveling we visited a woman who made her own peppermint."

"We must be close then." Michael said, his spaniel eyes shining.

"And that means that something of yours can get chopped off." Julie joked.

Summer grinned. "And we better watch out for falling candy canes."

Everyone chuckled softly as they kept walking, lead by the peppermint smell. Finally they stopped and all stared at the large peppermint forest. Candy canes up to ten feet tall hang open them, and some of them were already chopped to tiny stumps, and luckily Mr. Mint was no where to be found.

"This might be easier." Jenny said, taking a cautious step onto the snow that surrounded the canes. "Someone give me something to cut the candy canes with, I lost my knife in to the plum tree."

Zach handed his cousin one of his knives silently. Jenny looked odd holding a weapon in hand, she usually was so innocent and sweet, but she could be tough when she needed to be.

Quietly, she walked over to one of the shorter candy canes that had grown to be about three feet tall. She laid her hand and the curve and pulled, trying to will it to snap but it wouldn't come.

"Use the knife." Julian whispered, as Jenny started cutting against the candy.

"It's not working." Jenny whispered back, pushing harder onto the stick that the knife had left no impression in.

'Try harder." Dee whispered more urgently then usual, looking back at the front of the forest incase the lumberjack came out wielding his axe.

Jenny nodded and pushed harder on the knife, until it slipped from her hand. Everyone watched in horror as the knife knocked against the candy cane and made a soft pang.

"What do you think _you're_ doing?" a voice boomed and everyone's heads snapped towards the entrance of the forest where Mr. Mint was standing, He looked as well as Plumpy had looked from the Candy Land board. He was wearing dark pink over alls and a white shirt with red stripes. The two circles on his cheeks looked darker then usual and instead of a happy smile like the game's candy cane lumberjack had, but a dark frown towards Jenny and her friends.

"Don't you dare touch my candy canes." Mr. Mint threatened, walking closer to Jenny. He raised the axe over his shoulder and glared down at Jenny. Up close he was about six feet tall and more frightening then you would have thought.

"We need a piece of your candy cane." Audrey said sharply. "It's not like we want the whole forest."

Mr. Mint turned his glare to Audrey, who stared back unafraid. "You need a piece of candy cane?"

Audrey gave him a stiff nod and Mr. Mints mouth twisted into an unnatural smile. "Fine then, I'll cut you a nice big piece." He ran at her, his axe raised high to quick for any human o see it coming. Luckily though, not all of the player's were human and Julian pushed Audrey out of the way so that both of them tumbled safely in the snow while Mr. Mint's blade cut into a piece of his candy cane forest.

_Why couldn't we do that? _Julie thought as she ran to Jenny, then froze turning back as Mr. Mint slashed at Dee who skillfully dodged and tripped him, jumping out of the way of his axe.

_His axe! That's it! _Julie thought as she finished running to Jenny. "It's his axe, Jen it can cut the candy canes."

Jenny looked from Julie to Mr. Mint then nodded. "I think your right Julie, but how are we supposed to get the axe from him?"

"That was something that I'd hoped you would figure out." Julie remarked as something whizzed behind her head. She turned as another thing fell to her and grazed her arm. "Ow."

"What was that?" Jenny asked, ducking one of the things that fell toward her.

"Candy cane darts." Summer called, dodging a serious of darts that had landed around her.

Someone yelled and everyone turned as Michael was pinned against a candy cane with Mr. Mint coming up closer with his ax in hand.

"Michael!" Audrey yelled, as a candy cane dart hit her leg and she cried out in pain.

Julie didn't think, because she was already doing. She may not have been as fast as Julian, but she was still small and quick and Mr. Mint didn't seem to notice her until it was too late. She leaped through the air, knife in hand and landed on his back with a thump. He turned around, allowing Michael to escape as Julie, slashed at the lumberjack's arm that held his axe.

Mint cried out in pain as Julie slashed his shoulder, but held onto the axe, tightly. Finally, Julie did the only thing that she could think of; she took the knife and slashed at his face. A long cut appeared on his right cheek, and turned his cheek even redder then it was with the makeup. Mint yelled in pain, dropping his axe and grabbing his cheek as he shook violently, desperate to get Julie off of him.

Julie let go, falling into the snow on her back as Mr. Mint glared at her in rage.

"Get the axe!" Dee yelled as Julie scrambled onto her feet. But she wasn't standing by the time that Mr. Mint kicked her in the ribs and kept her down.

Pain flared through her chest and Julie grabbed onto the spot that the lumberjack had kicked and shut her eyes, as if that would make the candy cane man disappear. Instead, she felt another blow to her ribs, and now pain shot through her arm too. She opened her eyes seeing dark spots dance across her vision as the Mr. Mint raised his leg for another kick.

She shut her eyes helplessly, and waited for the next sting, but it never came. Moments passed by and Julie allowed her eyes to open and flinched at the sight of Mr. Mint's shoe, inches from her face.

Someone ran to her and helped her up, and Julie saw Michael's spaniel eyes watching her anxiously. "Are you okay?"

Julie looked around her, everything had gone gray, just like it had the first time that they obtained the treat they needed. She saw Zach with Mr. Mint's axe in hand, holding a candy cane about a foot tall in his other hand. Julie nodded slightly to Michael's question as he helped her up, careful not to cause her anymore pain to her ribs.

"What happened?" Julie asked when the group came together, standing in the now still and gray forest.

"Zach grabbed the axe while Mr. Mint was attacking you." Summer said with a smile. "And he cut down the first candy cane he saw and everything froze up."

Julie looked at Zach, who was smiling slightly, his eyes down towards ground. "Thanks, Zach. You saved me."

"No problem." Zach replied looking up at her with a wider smile and turned to Dee handing her the candy cane. "Put it in the pack."

"You got it." Dee said shrugging off the bag and putting the cane inside. It stuck out a little and made a distinctive shape in the thin pack back, but it was safe.

"Is everyone else okay?" Julie asked, looking around at her friends.

"A few scrapes, but well be fine." Audrey replied, pursing her pink lips. "Maybe we should take a break, you got pretty beat up by Mint over there."

Julie sighed and took a step forward; ignoring the pain it caused her. "I'll be fine; I just need to walk it off, really."

Jenny placed a hand on Julies arm. "You sure? We're all kind of tired so maybe a break would be good."

Julie rolled her eyes and nodded. "Okay, well take a break but can we do it a little way down the road, so at least we get some distance towards our next challenge?"

Everyone nodded and started walking down the rainbow road, glad to put some distance between themselves and what was the peppermint forest.

**Ah, more violence. So two down, a lot more to go…I can't wait! Can you? **


	22. Behind The Glass

**Chapter 22, and this one is kind of long…annoying. Enjoy! **

"Okay, can we all agree that this time we kind of partner up so we don't all get hurt?" Julie asked, crossing her legs as she sat down on a blue tile. "Not that getting beat up isn't enjoyable."

"Okay, so that'll be easy." Michael said with a grin. "Me and Audrey will pair up, and Summer and Zach can, then…" He looked between the last four people uneasily.

The awkward silence that followed Michael's trailed off words wasn't a long one, but it was tense. Who wanted to be partnered up with someone who was evil, or may not have been evil but their partner wouldn't know for sure.

"I'll go with Julian." Julie said, shaking her dark hair so she wouldn't have to see everyone's eyes widen at her, including a pair of unnatural blue ones. When she did stop, and her black hair twirled around her shoulder's she cocked her head to the side and looked oddly confused. "What?"

"Why do you want to be partnered with me?" Julian asked suddenly.

Julie grinned. "Easy, if you went with Jenny then you'd annoy her for most of the trip and make it awkward for all of us, and Dee would probably kill you, so all that's left is little old me."

"But won't you try to kill him, too?" Dee asked, arching one dark eye brow.

Julie gave a theatric sigh and rolled her eyes. "I'll try not to, alright?"

"You better." Jenny said so that now eyes turned on her. "I don't want to have to get _another_ replacement."

"Good point." Zach agreed, looking uneasily at Julie. "Um, is she okay?"

Julie was staring away from the group, off to the distance, her eyes obviously fixed on something faraway. Her lips were slightly open, as if she were going to speak but instead she just kept staring, as if when she blinked or made any movement, the thing she saw would disappear.

"Julie?" Summer whispered and reached out to touch the younger girl. The second her fingers touched Julie's arm, Julie's head whipped around and she was instantly back.

"What?" Julie asked, glancing behind her at the image she'd just seen.

"Are you okay?" Summer asked anxiously, her large blue eyes troubled.

"I'm fine, Sunny bunny." Julie said, standing up instantly steady and without a single look of pain crossed her determined face. "I think we should keep going, they might be things watching us."

Everyone shrugged and stood, still looking at Julie uneasily as if there was something that she wasn't telling them, maybe there was.

. . .

Emily never asked for a normal life.

It was one of the things that she'd hope would be given to her at birth, along with a happy family and a good life, but sadly both things had slipped through her fingers without giving her a chance to grasp at them.

She looked up at the mirror, completely unsatisfied with the girl staring back at her. Her usual dark hair that would cast a gorgeous blue haze in the right light had dulled, as did her soft gray eyes. In all of her seventeen years of life, she'd never once looked as terrible as she did now. What else could be taken from her?

She sat down on her light purple bed, letting her eyes wonder around her bed room that she'd had since she was three. The walls were light lavender and along them were pictures framed of her and her friends and sister. The girl who seemed to have taken all the life from the Silver household.

With a sigh Emily picked up her phone and scrolled through her sister's face book page, half-heartedly hoping that she'd decided to send a post about…well…anything at this point.

"Damn, it Julie." Emily said with a frown, disappointed in her small hope and tossed the phone back on her bed near her pillow and buried her head in her blanket, waiting for tears to come that she'd already used.

"Emily?" Her mother's soft voice called, and she could hear her mother's foot steps enter her room and stop over her. "Sweetie, are you alright?"

"No, Mom." Emily mumbled, she didn't even know what 'right' was anymore.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Her mother asked, and Emily could tell that she wanted to disparately. When her sister turned up missing, Emily didn't want to talk about it with anyone, not her friends, not her boyfriend Jake, not even her mother.

"I'm going for a walk. Emily said, pulling herself off her bed and grabbing her jacket and her phone blindly before running out the door. Her mother didn't even attempt to stop her.

. . .

One of the best things about Pennsylvania was that the people here weren't always trying to stop her and talk to her. They didn't live in a small town where everyone knew everyone and wanted to ask how your parents were or if you'd gotten an A on your last math test. Mostly people cared about themselves, and right now that was the best thing that Emily could hope for.

As she pushed the transparent door open to a local star bucks leaving the slight chill of after noon November, she realized that this was one of the greatest aspects of her town. Sure people were upset when Julie disappeared, but now everyone gave Emily her space which was the greatest thing that Emily could ask for. She ordered a coffee, black like the way she felt now a days and sat down next to the window and sipped the burning liquid.

Staring out the window at the people walking around the street had been Julie's idea. When they were about five and eight, and were sitting in a diner with their mom, waiting for their lunch to arrive when she looked behind her and smiled.

"Emily, look." Julie cried, grabbing her sister's hand and pointing.

Out the window was a man with neatly trimmed brown hair and a dark suit, holding a box in his hand and staring at it nervously. He looked like he was anxious about something, but Emily couldn't honestly think of a reason.

"What?" Emily asked, looking down at her sister who was staring at the stranger with uncanny focus for a five year old.

"He's waiting for someone." Julie said looking back at her sister, "I bet you he'll be really happy to see them."

Emily smiled and ruffled up her younger sister's hair. "Cool, who's he waiting for?"

"Her." Julie said, pointing at a woman with long blonde hair and a pair of sunglasses.

The man stopped the woman, and the woman smiled, sitting on the bench as the man talked, then suddenly he slid onto one knee and raised the tiny black box showing the woman a ruing inside.

It was a totally random event, but for some reason it always stuck with Emily where ever she went. Maybe she was hoping that shed se that couple again, married and older with kids of their own, or maybe she was just looking for her sister.

"Excuse me, miss?" Someone asked and Emily looked up, staring at a boy who could have been the most glorious human that she'd ever seen.

He had well chiseled features with deep brown eyes, focused on Emily completely. His dark hair tumbled messily into his eyes and he had a crooked smile on his face. For some reason, Emily found herself unable to look away, no matter how embarrassing it might have been.

"Miss?" The boy repeated, not at all uncertain or embarrassed, maybe he was used to random girls staring at him like he was a Greek god.

"Yes?" Emily asked, suddenly finding her voice.

"May I sit with you?" He asked, gesturing to the empty seat across from Emily.

Emily gave a small shrug and the boy sat down in front of her, his eyes looking even darker then before.

"You seem, troubled." He said suddenly, still not an ounce of self consciousness in his voice. "Are you?"

Emily just stared and then shook her head, remembering who she was and whose girlfriend she was. Regretfully she stared down into her dark coffee. "Yes, I guess I am."

"May I ask why?" The stranger asked, curiously.

Emily nodded. "It's my sister, she ran away a few months ago and I guess I'm still not over it."

"I wouldn't be." The stranger agreed and placed a hand on the one that held Emily's coffee, even at the touch she didn't look up. "But maybe talking about it will make you feel better."

Emily shook her head again. "I…I don't think so." She mumbled and pulled her hands away. "I think I just want to be alone, or maybe Ill call me boyfriend."

The boy didn't even flinch at the word boyfriend, instead he said. "I insist, we could take a walk, and maybe it can help clear your head."

_That's it. _Emily thought and met the boy's gaze head on. "I really don't want to take a walk; in fact I think I'm going to go home." She stood up and picked up her cup, walking quickly to the exit.

Once outside she heard footsteps behind her, and realized that this boy want going to take no for an answer. Emily froze as the footsteps stopped behind her and started talking, staring at the side walk. "I seriously don't want to talk to anyone right now, got it? Now will you leave me alone?"

"I just want to help you." The stranger insisted and stepped around Emily so that he was facing her. "Cant you understand that?"

Emily gave an irritated sigh and clutched her coffee cup, ready to toss it in the boy's face, when something grabbed her chin and made her look up.

"Please." The boy pleaded his eyes darker then before. "At least let me walk you home, I wouldn't want anything to happen to you." 

Emily wanted to scream. At that very moment she'd wanted to scream, and yell and throw a tantrum that would make little kids proud, but instead she felt herself nod.

What happened next was like watching another person. It was as if Emily stepped out of her body and watched as she took the strange boy's hand and started walking down the street. But at least in this ghost of herself, she'd still managed to ask the most clichéd question in the world. "What's your name?"

The boy stopped and turned, gazing at Emily with darker eyes then before, in the noon light, they almost looked black. "Just call me Ben, okay Emily?"

Emily nodded trancelike and followed Ben down the busy street, and finally felt like the people she'd watched from behind glass.

**You like? I loved writing this chapter; I don't know why I just did. I'm weird, go figure. Lol review! **


	23. Never Changing

**Alright Aliciaa, heres your romance, enjoy everyone :P**

"Okay, I think we should stop for the night." Jenny said, staring up at the dark purple sky above them. She looked over at Julie who was a few feet away from the group and saw that she'd turned and was waiting for them.

"Were stopping?" Julie called.

"Yeah!" Michael called back, "Come on, we got to set up where we're sleeping!"

Jenny could tell that Julie was rolling her eyes as she came back and then the group worked together to make somewhat of a camp and a fire.

…

"Who knew candy was so flammable?" Summer said with a smile as she sat around the came fire.

After they searched for real wood, they made do with edible wood from some of the trees around them. It wasn't much, but it allowed themselves to be warmer then they were before.

"I'm just as surprised as you are." Jenny said, tossing a branch into the flames and watching as it cracked.

"If only we could find a sleeping bag tree." Julie remarked standing and shaking her heard wildly. "I'm going to go look for some softer things to sleep on."

Jenny stood. "Why don't I go? You got pretty beat up by Mr. Mint."

Julie rolled her eyes and sat back down, crossing her arms over her chest. "I did not, and I'm fine. Really Jen, but if you want to go, I'm not stopping you."

"I'll go with you." Julian said, and started walking along side Jenny as she exited the fire and loose circle of her friends. "I don't think any of us want you to get hurt."

Jenny sighed and nodded, shooting her friends an apologetic look as she and the shadow man that had once been in love with her exited the circle.

. . . 

For the first few minutes, neither Julian nor Jenny talked. They just walked a little feet apart and searched around for softer things to sleep on. Then finally, Jenny decided to attempt to break the ice, when Julian had his back to her.

"Are you glad?" Jenny asked softly, afraid that he might not hear her. "That your back?"

Jenny could see Julian stiffen slightly, even from six feet away, but it was his words that had shocked her. "No, not really."

"Why?" Jenny asked, taking a step closer to him. "I thought you would have been ecstatic."

"I should be, but I'm not." Julian's tone wasn't hurtful, but hurt itself. "I'm just a mistake waiting to happen."

Jenny looked down, not wanting to meet Julian's eyes because she didn't know what to say. This was a side of Julian that she'd only seen a few times, and even then it had been months ago. And yet, the memory burned in her mind like it had been just a few moments ago.

"I think this is a good opportunity." Jenny whispered. "You have a chance to help us, like you did last time." 

Julian shook his head, and all Jenny could see was the blur of his unnatural white hair. "After all the torment I caused you, you think that this time I'm any different." Suddenly he was facing Jenny only inches away from her, but she wasn't afraid, or even startled.

"Remember what I told you, Jenny? Over and over and over again. I'm a monster and I'll just hurt you all in the end."

"A monster wouldn't have given me Summer back." Jenny said clearly. "And a monster wouldn't have saved my life in the tunnels when I nearly drowned. A monster wouldn't have sacrificed himself to save us." Jenny's face was now inches from his, and Jenny still couldn't feel herself look away from the hypnotic blue eyes. "And a monster wouldn't be helping us now."

Julian stared at Jenny, not with lust or undying devotion, but awe. "You really think that."

Jenny shook her head softly. "I know that Julian. And Dee knows, and Michael and everyone else."

"Not everyone." Julian said quietly. "Because the one person, who still thinks I'm a monster, also thinks I'm a mistake. And that's why he let me replace, Tom."

"He's using you, to try to stop us?" Jenny repeated.

Julian gave her a quick nod. "But that doesn't mean I will."

"You were right, Julian." Jenny said with a smile. "You are the nicest of the shadow men."

Julian smiled wearily. "You're not going to forget that any time soon are you?"

Jenny shook her head. "Because it's true."

Julian smiled and stared down into Jenny's eyes. "You're happy."

It wasn't an accusation, or a question just a statement, and it was true, despite al the things she'd been through, she was happy. "How do you know?"

"Your eyes." Julian mused. "Remember when I told you that they would get all goldy green when you were happy. And you said that I'd never seen you like that."

"Well now you have." Jenny smiled. "Face, to face."

Julian smiled wider, not wolf like, kind, joyful, happy. "For so long, I thought that I would never see you again."

Jenny looked away, as Julian continued. "And I thought, it was for the best."

"No." Jenny whispered and when she looked back at his face, she saw that Julian was astonished. "I'm glad I get to see you again, you've help me change." She blinked once and felt something wet at her eye. "You've helped us all change, and you have too."

She let her eyes drop again, but this time very lightly, Julian placed his hand under her chin and made her gaze into his eyes with no escape.

"Some things," He whispered, so quietly that Jenny had to strain he rears to hear. "Never change."

Then, Jenny's lips crushed against Julian's, and for one fleeting moment both of them wanted the same thing never wanting this to end.

**Okay, so romance here, happy readers? Lol I was, review? **


	24. Always Watching

**Peoples! I was sick yesterday, that sucks…a lot. So I couldn't really post anything but this morning I got up, currently its 6:23and I'm posting it, soon. Why? Cause I love you guys, and I am determined to post something! **

Kissing Julian was something that Jenny could ever describe perfectly. Words didn't do the action justice to the way that Julian kissed Jenny. It was like fireworks going off, but between the heat of the action, it was also cool and crisp. It wiped away every other thought from Jenny's mind, so that the only thing that she could be able to focus on was him, but when her mind would come back to her, it would be filled with regret, hurt, or even Tom.

Tom, the name sounded foreign, like something from a completely different world, but besides the name were other things, pesky memories flooding through Jenny's already full subconscious. Tom and Jenny going to prom together, Tom looking unbelievably gorgeous in his tuxedo along with Jenny at his side. Tom and Jenny on Halloween when they were about nine, Jenny wearing a long pink gown and Tom a knight in silver armor, her knight. And finally, Tom and Jenny in second grade, behind the hibiscus bushes. Tom-and-Jenny, a single unit, but not al the memories were good.

The words Julie had told Jenny in her living room, that they had changed just she had after Julian's first game, could she have been right? She didn't even have to ask, she was proving it to herself right now, kissing the person that had tortured her friends once while he was being kept under lock and key to be part of another game. What was wrong with her?

Something must have changed in the way she responded to Julian, maybe Jenny had stiffened because he pulled away, and stared at her with anxious blue eyes.

"This is wrong." Jenny whispered.

Her words obviously must have hurt Julian, it was obvious on is gorgeous and exotic voice. "Jenny, I know what you must be thinking but-"

"No, this is wrong Julian." Jenny protested. "Right now, when Tom is probably being held captive by Benjamin, and what are we doing? Kissing behind his back. It's dishonest, it's wrong."

Julian looked away, something flashed in his dawn eyes, regret? And he nodded, sullenly. "Maybe you're right."

Jenny nodded, looking away from Julian and detangled her arms from around his neck; her finger's tingling where he had lost them in his white hair. "It makes me feel, unfaithful I guess."

To who? She thought. She'd obviously enjoyed the kiss, she couldn't lie to herself about that but through it she'd been thinking about Tom, who was she really being unfaithful to right now? And was she going to do anything about it, or just pretend that she couldn't feel what she really could.

Julian shook his head slightly and pulled his arms from Jenny's neck, slightly softly as he always did no matter how angry or hurt he really was. He turned his back on her, his shoulder's shaking slightly through the dark and Jenny looked away from him again, ignoring the boy in front of her.

"I know." Julian mumbled and starting walking off into the distance, leaving Jenny left in the dark in more ways then one. After a few minutes he returned, his arms full of large colorful things that cast different shades in the thickening dark.

"Here." He said and thrust the objects in her astonished arms. They were slightly sticky and gave off a strong and fruity aroma. Gumdrops. "I'm going to go back and get more, you go back to the group. Alright?"

Jenny nodded mutely as Julian turned away again and started off into the darkness, while Jenny turned around slowly and followed the unfamiliar trail towards the lazy orange haze of the distant fire.

"Hey, there's Jenny." She heard someone cry, and heard footsteps and felt some of the gumdrops pulled from her arm and stared into Dee's grinning face. "Where's our replacement?"

"Getting more gumdrops." Jenny said automatically, as she placed the gumdrops before her friends and sat down on a turned down candy tree trunk that one of her friends must have brought while she was gone. She stared down at her hands, which were slightly darker in the blazing fire's light, and dusty. Some of the sugar must have fallen on her hands when she took them from Julian, but she felt as if it was more then that.

"Where'd you find these?" Michael asked, leaning on a light green gumdrop that was about a foot an a half tall.

"Julian found them." Jenny replied, trying to sound nonchalant, covering what true feeling might have escaped in her voice.

"We'll have to thank him when he comes back." Summer said with a grin, picking up a pink one, glazed with purple sugar.

"No problem." Julian said quietly, make Jenny turn her head and stare at Julian who was placing another arm full of candy onto the ground. "But we're going to need some real food soon; I don't think that these are going to cut it."

"The whole world is made of candy here." Julie said with a wicked smile, leaning over and picking up a small white marshmallow from a near by bush. "I can make deal with this."

Everyone started to grab marshmallows and sticks and thrusted them into them into the fire, laughing as they did. Even Jenny was smiling a bit as Michael's marshmallow caught on fire and Dee blew it out with a single blow, leaving it charred black.

The mood had completely changed from the awkward and unpleasant air that had surround Jenny as her kiss with Julian ended, to a bright and cheerful one of a group of friends around a camp fire.

Yet no one would know how awful it could be ruined, by the glowing dark eyes that were just a shade darker then the night that surrounded it. The eyes that held secrets, lies, and saw things that would be used to make the game he was playing, much more interesting.

**They can never just go with the romantic mood, can they? Hopefully that will change in the near future because like most of you I hate that Jenny and tom together. Second grade was second grade but now Tom is compulsive…I dislike him. **


	25. Down A Hole

**Chapter 25! Enjoy! **

Jenny yawned, and felt her eyelids get heavily. Through her hazy gaze she saw that Audrey, Michael and Summer had taken a few gumdrops and sat a lot feet away from the fire on the grass. Jenny wanted to go with them, but sleep still evaded her, taughting her at the edges of her conscious, so instead she leaned her chin on her knees sleep fully while Dee, Julie, Zach and Julie talked around the fire. Even if they were only a few feet around the dying fire, she felt that she was in a whole other world, and maybe she was right.

"What do you think is going to happen with the next person we face?" Julie asked, quietly, her own dark head leaning to one side and her eyes half closed. "Its Lord Licorice right?"

Dee nodded. "Yeah. Who ever decided he should use black licorice was seriously demented."

"No one likes black licorice." Zach said calmly. "So obviously know one will like Lord Licorice."

Julie nodded mutely. "He'll probably just tie us up with his licorice whip."

"I'm going to hate fighting him." Dee added. "I never liked black licorice, but my mom had for years. It smells disgusting."

Jenny nodded slightly, whenever they had gone to a candy store, she would steer clear of the black licorice with a frown. But that hadn't happened since they were twelve.

Julie stood, and cocked her head in Jenny's direction. "I'm going to sleep, you coming Jen? You look dead asleep already."

Jenny nodded softly and stood, leaning heavily on Julie as she jumped to her side and lad Jenny to a spot near their other sleeping friends.

She leaned her head against a soft gumdrop and let her eyes close as Julie sat down on the ground and stared off at the horizon, an unasked question in her eyes.

"Julie?" Jenny mumbled sleepily and Julie turned, leaning down low to her friend.

"Yeah?" Julie asked softly, not wanting to wake any of the other sleepers.

"Where's the Creeper?" Jenny asked softly, and Julie shrugged, thinking about the same ting.

. . .

Walking away with someone you barley know, and have no real reason to trust was never the best situation. Even know all Emily could think of was why she had been so stupid, and why right now she was still being so. She glanced down at her hand that was held by Ben's strong one, and tried not to panic. This wasn't easy, mostly because as she saw her hand she pulled it back gently and the action caused Ben's hand to tighten on her's. She looked back up to his face, the face that had convinced her to go with this stranger, no questions asked.

"This isn't the way to my house." Emily told Ben, as she stopped walking and glared at him coldly. "Can you let go of my hand now?"

Ben didn't let go. He turned around and faced Emily, his eyes like the way they were in the coffee shop, black. "No I'm sorry I can't."

Emily repressed a sudden shudder. "Uh, yes you can. Now you better or else I'll hurt you."

Ben cocked his head to the side slightly, a cunning smile playing on his lips. "Oh will you?" He looked around them as if he was daring her too and finally she saw where she was taken. They stood in a forest surrounded by dampened trees and grass coated with moisture.

Emily gave him one swift nod, swallowing her fear and pulled her hand more quickly, but her hand stayed in Ben's tight grasp. "Let me go, right now Ben."

Ben smiled wider. "Why that's not the way to ask now is it, Emily?"

This time Emily couldn't suppress the shudder and it rain down her spine quickly. "How do you know my name?"

"I know much more then just that." Ben continued. "I know how your sister left you and your mother all alone. And you think it's your fault. That you hadn't been there for her while her father had left and how you think that she'd gone crazy."

Emily gasped; she'd never told anyone about that.

"And I know about how you cheated on Jake with Eric Michaels when he was visiting his aunt, last summer." The stranger grinned. "And then you broke up with him when he told his friends."

"I had to!" Emily said suddenly. "What I did with Eric was an accident and I doesn't matter now." She covered her mouth, and stared at Ben with wide eyes. How did he know all these things about her? Was he some kind of stalker?

"Who are you?" Emily whispered. "God what are you?"

Ben smiled and raised his hand, touching Emily's cheek softly and leaning in close to her, so that his words were only a little bit louder then a breath. "Don't you know?"

Ben pulled back and kept staring at Emily, and finally ran a hand through his dark hair. The change was nearly impossible to see, and when Emily blinked a completely new man stood before her. An older man and one that was slightly familiar.

"Who are you?" Emily asked, but in the next second a memory sparked through her mind and she instantly knew.

"Don't tell me that you don't recognize your own father." Benjamin smirked and Emily flinched back.

Her father released her hand and she hit the ground hard and dug her nails into the grass around her as she stared up at the man that had left her so many years ago.

"Look how beautiful you've gotten." Benjamin mused. "It's such a pity that I couldn't have told you sooner as you grew."

"You were the one who left." Emily said coldly, and she could tell that in some way her words hurt him. "You left us, me and Julie alone in that house."

"You think I wanted to?" Her father asked bitterly, his face a mask of anguish and pure regret. But in the next second it was washed away and now he was facing her coolly. "But that doesn't matter. We have other things to talk about, now."

"I don't want to talk to you." Emily protested. "Ever."

Benjamin sighed. "Always so stubborn, it must come from your mother you know." He looked down at his eldest daughter wearily. He had hoped that this would have been easier but slightly hoped that she would have understood. But apparently she wanted to make it more difficult.

"Fine then, darling. We won't talk." He smiled grimly. "But soon, you'll want to talk to me." He inclined his head, as a long hiss cut through the quiet forest sending another chill through Emily's spine.

Out of one of the bushes came a large black slithering creature, with silted dark eyes. The beast was coated with dark scales that shone in the now glowing sun. It stuck its tongue out as if it tasted the air and Emily cringed back, as it neared her feet. It slid by her knee now, it was huge, nearly fifteen feet long, and terrifying.

Regretfully she looked over to her father who was staring at her sadly, like he didn't want the snake to hurt her as much as she didn't want it too. She felt something touch her arm and instantly Emily turned and saw the snake wrap it's self around her arm, tightly. She looked back to her father who was taking a step back. And then she was being dragged with him, she looked over at the snake who was dragging hr by her arm painfully,

_God, I'm going to die._ Emily thought as she plummeted down the shadowy void.

**Did you like? Back to Emily again, and I don't know why I did…just a way to keep you on the edges of your seat I guess, I'm good at that, aren't I? Review and tell me how I'm doing please.**


	26. In The Castle

**Short but to the point, and I is working on chapter 27 so don't think im holding out on u guys! I always deliver.**

A loud crash was what woke Jenny up this morning.

The sound made a large thunk as it hit against the earth and shook it, causing Jenny to stir as did her friend. And the first thought was that something had happened while they'd been asleep, something bad. She turned around and reached for Julie but only felt grass, and gasped as she saw Julie absent from the place that she's fallen asleep.

"Oh, look. You guys _aren't_ dead after all." Someone said and everyone turned to stare at Julie who was sitting on a high branch in a dying tree. The girl was smiling, and swinging her legs back and forth under the tree's trunk, completely unaware of where she was.

"What are you doing up there?" Jenny called, as she stood and shook out her blonde hair. The sweater she'd worn seemed duller now and her jeans were grass stained.

Julie shrugged. "What are _you_ doing down there?"

"Acting like normal people?" Julian called and Julie snickered.

"You must use the word 'normal' loosely." Julie called, standing up on the tree and looking off away from the group. "Lord Licorice is about fifty feet away; if we hurry we can beat him and be done in about an hour." Julie smiled, and leaned down on the branch, jumping onto the next one below her, and then the next, and then the next until she was dangling fifteen feet from the ground. With a grin, she jumped, and landed onto the ground flawlessly, while her friends all watched. "Who's ready?"

Everyone shrugged or just agreed and started waling down the rainbow tiled trail, Jenny and Julian staying at two different sides of the group, not even risking a glance at the other.

The sky above them started to change, going from the clear blue to a hazy light yellow and as they started up a slight hill, and stared down at a dark castle. The area around it was light orange like a desert, and they all could tell that this wasn't going to be done in an hour.

"This is going to be fun." Dee said with a smile as she flashed a barbaric smile toward the castle.

"Dee," Audrey said sweetly "When we get home I'm taking a dictionary and I'm going to have you read it over and over until you learn what the word 'fun' means."

. . .

It seems that getting down to the castle was much easier then they had thought. No licorice monsters popped out of the, nothing tried to grab them from the ground and drag them under, and nothing made a sound, except for the small sounds that they made as they walked through the sandy path to the castle.

Not a single person wanted to talk as they walked up to the castle, and mostly because there was nothing to say, except when they stopped at the tall doors of the dark castle.

"What do we do?" Michael asked, raising his hand to touch the knocker. He hit his knuckle against the door and was silent as the sound echoed through the absent castle.

What happened next was completely by surprise and no one could have really done anything to stop it. The doors swung open and before anyone could move a dozen whips shot out from the darkness and wrung themselves around the group's wrists. Each tried to pull back and even Julie tried to reach for her knife reflexively but another dozen shot out to join the first and clung along their other wrists, keeping them in place.

Each of them pulled against it, but son they were being pulled inside the darkness of the castle and once Julian was inside-he had struggled the most out of all of them- the giant doors shut and cut off all the sunlight.

Everyone called out to find each other but they were being pulled off in different directions, the boys going to one side of the castle and the girls going to the other, all except Julie who had an extra whip around her, against her mouth and keeping her from crying out, no matter for help or pain.

She could hear the voices of her friends getting dimmer, some of them calling out her name but she couldn't call back to them, only struggle harder against the black licorice that held.

"Don't bother to struggle." She heard someone call from the darkness and then suddenly all the lights of the castle turned on and Julie's eyes were blinded with light. When they adjusted she saw a throne room of black and dark brown, with dark curtains pulled over the windows and a hard tied floor. At the front of the room sat Lord Licorice, staring down art hr with an unamused expression. Just like the first two candy citizen's Julie had seen, he looked just like he had in the game that she'd played for years, except for one small difference.

This Lord's eyes were black, and behind them they knew everything about her life.

**Yay, another cliff hanger, always fun to me….always. **


	27. Tricks

**Chapter 27, and it is fueled by me listening to a bunch of Sweeny Todd songs, I don't know why but I always work best when I listen to them. Inspirations odd, isn't it? **

Julie glared at her father, wishing even more that she didn't have the dark candy to cover her mouth from the insults that she wan ted to tell him.

"Don't you look happy." Benjamin mused, standing up and twirling his cane to the side of him as he walked down the steps toward his daughter. "Are you having fun yet?"

Julie rolled her eyes and looked away from her father, turning herself around and glaring at another part of the castle.

"You're not even going to look at me?" Her father asked.

Julie gave him a stiff nod, still not looking at him, while he swung his cane around d and placed it under her chin, pulling it up so that she had to look at him. "That's better."

Julie rolled her eyes again but Benjamin ignored it and smiled at her like a cat that had just caught a mouse, teasingly. "Now, guess what I'm going to do, for Daddy's little girl?"

Julie just stared at her father as he grinned wider. "Fine, don't guess, but you'll still be surprised. You see, my darling. I'm going to treat you like you would be treated when you decide to stay with your father here, as a princess of your own castle. You'll get anything you want, food, clothes, toys, but you wouldn't want to play with those anymore would you? How about music? I can get you a concert with anyone you could dream of, and they'll sing privately to you. What do you say, Julietta?"

Julie shook her head stiffly and her father's teasing smile was wiped clean from his face, and she was left staring at the shadow man that she knew, the terrible and frightening one. "Fine, if you won't accept my proposal willingly, I'll have to _show_ you what I can do."

"You're going to kill me?" Julie asked, bravely.

Benjamin shook his head and leaned in to his daughters face with a grin. "Worse."

. . .

Julie's eyes widened at the sight before her. True, her father had said that he would show her how she would live if she stayed with him. She glared at the reflection before her, a girl in a long black dress that trailed along the floor. Ruffles clung at her arms and her usual dark hair that she loved to keep in pigtails surrounded her pale face in ringlets. She looked like shed stepped out of the Victorian era, a princess or a lady of wealth, but she was a prisoner.

It could have been worse though, she could have been in the dungeon along with the rest of her friends. Who knew what they must have been enduring while she was up here being forced to live the good life.

. . .

Three days. They had been in Lord Licorice's dungeon for three days, and still no one knew where Julie was.

Jenny shut her eyes, remembering the look on Julie's face as a dark whip came out and grabbed her by the wrist and jerked forward, without the chance to grab her knife and cut herself free.

"How are we going to get out of here, Jen?" Summer asked quietly, looking back at her friends in the low candle light who were asleep in the hard hay, with blue eyes, filled with desperation. At first Audrey had thrown a fit but learned to sleep in it, because it was warmer and softer the hard tiles, that's what they need to protect themselves from now. The cold.

Jenny shook her head and leaned her chin against the thick bars of the cell, and for once, she couldn't think of a good enough lie to tell Summer, or any of the rest of her friends.

. . .

"Julietta," Benjamin called, and Julie was pushed into the throne room by one of the servants in the castle. Even though it was just a prop and a game, her father had gone all out with every detail to the castle. Servants, chambers and dungeons filled the halls and kept Julie contained.

As she burst through the castle double doors out into the room, she glared down at the floor and slowly raised her eyes to the monster her father was playing. He grinned at her, cocking his head to the side as he leaned back on his thrown to the large dark castle. He was truly a shadow king.

"Darling, I have some wonderful news." Her father said loudly and stared into his nails nonchalantly, trying to be conspicuous and succeeding. "You know those prisoners that we've been keeping in the dungeon? Well I think they've been down there for quite some time, and I think it's time we got rid of them."

_This is bad. _Julie thought suddenly_. This is really, really bad. _

"So, I've decided why not execute them?" The shadow man said it without any emotion and stared into Julies dark eyes with a challenge, nearly whispering _come on I dare you. _

"You can't." Julie protested. "They're my friends, and that wouldn't be plying fairly."

"Fairly?" Her father echoed, a dark smile forming on his face. "You want to know what isn't _fair? _Life clichéd I know but true my daughter, life isn't fair. And if it was then I would still be with you and your mother and Emily." The shadow man broke off. But, at least I have consolation to our family."

"I'm not your price." Julie snapped, turning around and storming out to the front doors to her room when her father laughed.

"I wasn't talking about you, dearest. He said between laughs and when he finally stopped, Julie could tell he was smiling. "I was speaking about, her."

Someone opened the door and someone else was jerked into the room, Julie knew it was probably another slave, by the sound of chains but then the stranger whispered. "Where am I?"

Julie froze, and turned around slowly, eyes widening as she laid eyes on her sister. At least what had become of her sister, the beautiful and gentle Emily that Julie knew was completely different to the girl in front of her. This girl's hair was knotted, and encrusted with dirt as if she was dragged through mud and dirt instead of the sleek waterfall of black that Julie knew. Her face was purple and yellow in some places, had someone hurt her? It had been the shadow man then Julie would have ripped his head off, at the moment if he was a normal human, father or not. And her eyes, the beautiful and solemn eyes of Emily Silver were frightened, like a fawn's in the face of a pack of wolves.

"Emily?" Julie whispered and took a step forward to her sister, before pulling back. _It's just a shadow world trick. _Julie thought_. She's not Emily, Emily's in Pennsylvania, safe. _

The girl blinked uncertainly then kept her eyes wide and opened her mouth, but no words game. After a beat of silence, Emily whispered. "Julie?"

"Emily," Julie whispered, as shadow tricks went, this one was a very good one. They even had her voice down perfectly along with her expression.

"Julie, he got you too?" Emily asked, louder this time and sneaking an uncertain glance at their father. "God, don't you have any sense or wrong?"

Benjamin shrugged, leaning his chin on his hands as he watched his daughters. "Not really, comes with the perks or being a shadow man you know."

Julie shot a glare at her father. "God, you sick basturd. You sick, sick basturd. You can't just let me be? My friends are in the dungeon for Christ's sake and you're threatening to kill them, then you bring in this shadow world trick? What is wrong with you?"

"A trick?" Benjamin scoffed. "This is no trick, Julietta. This is the real thing. This is the living, breathing Emily Silver, your sister."

Emily stared at her sister then back at her father. "God what have you done to her?" Emily whispered shaking her head softly.

"You aren't real." Julie whispered. You can't be. Emily wouldn't be here, she can't be here and she isn't. She's to smart to fall for his tricks."

Emily shook her head. God, Julie. I did. And you did too, didn't you?"

"I'm playing a game." Julie countered, venomously. "If you were my real sister you would know that."

"Will you stop saying I'm not your real sister?" Emily yelled. "God, Julie. Don't you know the hell you put me and mom through?"

"Don't talk about my mother!" Julie screamed. "You're not real! God you're not real!"

"I'm as real as you1" Emily shrieked. "And at least I wasn't the one who left! It's your fault I'm here!"

"Girls," Their father whispered. But both fathers ignored his single word.

"I'm sick of this! Julie screeched. "I'm done, with all of it. With the tricks, the lies, the pain and most of all. She turned to her father. "You!" She reached into her boots that she wore under her dress and jerked out her knife, holding it familiarly in her hand. "And now, I'm going to adjust the problem."

Julie ran at her father, knife raised and did something purely from a snapped decision. Even with his cat like reflexes, he didn't see the knife that Julie plunged into her father's chest.

**Yay, murder! Maybe it isn't best for me to listen to Sweeny Todd while I write? Nahh I'm still gonna do it. Lol do you guys like Sweeny Todd? What's your favorite song? Does it help you write? Why am I asking you all these questions…so many asked but no answers, at least not yet :3. Review. **


	28. Believing

**Chapter 28! Sorry, I haven't posted in like three days, I've been busy. Lol I'll explain later on, okay? Now read, you deserve it. **

Benjamin stared from his daughter, down to the knife that stuck out from his chest, and in a blink, he disappeared

It was shockingly quick, one moment her father was sitting on his throne, and ten in the next second he was gone, leaving a little poof of air as he left. 

"Basturd," Julie mumbled, pulling her knife back from the back of the chair. "Never can stay for anything can he?"

"Julie…" Emily whispered, and her sister whipped around, pointing the knife pointedly at the other girl. "Julie, put the knife down."

"What are you still doing here?" Julie demanded. "He's gone, so why are you sti9ll around?"

"Is he dead?" Emily asked, ignoring her sister's first question.

"I wish." Julie sighed, and started walking down the hall, leaving the older girl behind. "The only way one of them will die is if you cut their name out of the rune stave." Julie shrugged. "Then, they're gone until they get their names carved back. _If_ they do, at least."

"Where are you going?" Emily asked quietly.

Julie paused, laying her hand on the door handle. "To break my friends out of the dungeon before he gets back."

"Friends?" Emily repeated. "You're not the only one, here?"

"He didn't tell you much did he? Julie asked, mostly to herself. "Yeah, me and about seven other people are here, playing his sick little game. So now I have to go break my friends out of the dungeon, got it?"

"Why are you playing? Emily asked, taking a cautious step closer. "Is this why you haven't been home?"

"Yes, now if you tell him about that, I'll kill you." Julie snapped, turning around to glare at the servant. "Maybe I should while I have the chance."

Emily flinched and took another step back. "Why don't you then?"

Julie shrugged, not meeting Emily's eyes. "Because it'll be a waste of my time."

"So you would kill your own sister then?" Emily whispered.

Julie shook her head sadly. "You're not my sister, now are you?"

"You still don't believe me?" Emily asked, her gray eyes pleading with her sister for understanding. For months shed dreamed about what it would be like when they were reunited, but not once had shed ever thought that her sister wouldn't believe that she wasn't really her sister? It never crossed her mind once, but recently nothing really seemed too. "It's only been a few months, and you've already forgotten me haven't you?"

Julie rolled her eyes. "You can pretend your Emily all you want, but that doesn't mean ill be inclined to believe you, you're not her."

Emily sighed, and took a step forward, then another, until she stopped, only three feet away from her sister who was still pointing a knife calmly in her direction. "Why don't you believe me?"

"Because, my sister never would be here." Julie said pointedly. "She never believed in this stuff, she never even gave a second thought to our father. 'He left, that's it Julie' she used to tell me, that's all there is."

Emily flinched again, remembering the countless times she told her sister those five words. For years she tried to push her sister to believe that her father had just simply left, just like shed learned to believe, but shed never expected that he was alive. And an evil shadow ruler who would kidnap his daughters and force them to play one of his sick games. "I…I was wrong…I really was."

"No, you weren't." Julie said wearily. "Because you're not Emily, aright? Stop pretending for god's sake."

"I'm not pretending!" Emily cried. "God, I'm, your sister, I really am Julie. I've been with you all your life, when we were kids and used to play our own version of candy land, holding your hand when we went on the scary rides at play land, watching people outside the windows in the diner. And I was there when dad left, and I held onto you when I called for mom, to take us home. But do you know where I wasn't?"

Julie didn't even blink, but just stare at the girl. _He's watched you all your life, Julie. _Julie reminded herself. _He could have told her anything, don't believe this imposter for a second. _

"I wasn't there for you when you told me that you thought dad was taken." Emily whispered. "God, I just told you that you were crazy, that you were just making stuff up so that you wouldn't feel as bad as you did. I pushed you away and told you, you were wrong, and that you should just give up, because he wasn't coming back." She sniffed loudly while tears rushed down from her eyes, and returned to her normal voice, but it wavered with every word. "Then, you were gone. You just left, no note, no phone call, and no one had any idea where you would go, or why. But I did, god I did know and I just kept my mouth shut. I thought that you were crazy, Julie. Burt I was wrong, I was so completely wrong and now, we're both paying the price. It's my entire fault and I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Julie."

Julie blinked again, a thousand thoughts racing through her mind, all about Emily. The way she stared into her eyes and told her, point blank that she was wrong and that there was no hope.

Emily looked down at the floor, tears dripping down on the dark tile. "I know you'll never forgive me, but I don't care. I'm glad to know that you're okay, and that you're alive, and that you were right. I was wrong Julie, and I don't care if you believe me that I'm the real Emily. I'm just glad, that you know that I'm-"

Emily's voice was cut off, as someone squeezed her hard, and as she looked down she saw a tangle of dark hair. Julie's knife clattered against the floor as she pulled her arms tighter around her sister, and after a moment's hesitation, Emily wrapped her own arms around her younger sister. 

Even if she hadn't imagined this reunion, she was right about the end, they would hug and they would finally be together.

**Aw, sweetness. Okay, sorry I haven't posted, first of all, I've had two friends over for the whole weekend and now I just got the computer for an hour so you'll have to deal that its not super, duper long. Sorry. I might post another chapter today, I don't know though, it might have to wait until tomorrow and I'm sorry, I left you all on such an annoying cliff hanger. Lol review please and tell me how you all spent**_** your**_** weekend, while I was playing hooky from writing. **


	29. Both Ways

**To anyone who is still reading this, I'm back! Lol totally crazy week this week, tests, friends, and through it all I sprained my wrist. Skills of the failing arts! Anyway, I'm back and I'm so so so so so so so so so so so so so sorry, haven't posted. You try to type while you have a brace on your wrist, not fun. But I'm still doing it! And I really wanted this chapter to be longer, but apparently it was not grrr, so I'll probably be p[posting another chapter at some point today. Lol now stop reading this and start reading chapter 29! **

Jenny leaned her head against the cool bars of her cell. For days she had repeated this action over and over, hoping it would bring a more relaxing feeling to her head that was a buzz with worry. Worry for herself, worry for her friends that were in a different cell far away from them, and worry for Julie. Who knew what her father might have been doing to her while they sat here in the dungeon, cut off from the rest of the world. This must had been what it felt like when her friends had been kidnapped when they played the second of Julian's sick games.

"What's up Jen?" Dee whispered appearing next to Jenny soundlessly in the pitch black room. At night the guards would shut off every speck of light that could escape through the cracks of the dungeon, and now all they could see was blackness.

"Nothing," Jenny whispered back, turning toward her friend and trying to let her eyes adjust to the lighter shadow of her face.

"I thought I heard something." Dee mused, turning to stare through the bars. "Footsteps."

As if on cue, light footsteps started down the stairs and the large door locked from the outside only opened slightly allowing a faint crack of light from above to break through the darkness. The door opened wider and a small dark head peaked through. "Jenny?" Someone called hesitantly. "Julian? Michael? Dee? Audrey? Summer? Zach? Anyone in here?"

"Julie?" Jenny asked, and the door opened wider, so now Jenny could see Julie completely. The girl was the complete opposite of the Julie, Jenny and her friends knew.

This girl's hair hung in ringlets that surrounded her flawless pale face. Her eyes were darker, and so were her lips, she was wearing a long black gown that looked like it was from the renaissance and behinds her was an older looking girl who looked like a slave compared to the way Julie was dressed. Maybe she was.

"There you are." Julie breathed, running over to the bars and clinging onto them, up close Jenny could see that her lips were red, very red, like holly berries or maybe blood. "I've been looking all over for you guys."

"What are you doing here?" Dee asked, as Julie hiked up her skirt and pulled out her dagger, jamming it into the lock of the bars.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Julie asked, as she jerked her weapon hard to the left. "Breaking you out of prison."

"Where have you been?" Jenny asked, as Julie pulled it hard the other way. The lock whined in protest then unlocked so that now Julie could pull open the gate with ease, like she was doing before she answered Jenny's question.

"Father Dearest decided to play dress up with his daughter while her friends were left to rot." Julie shook her head and put her knife in her other hand. "God, I'd rather have stayed here with you guys."

"Who's that?" Dee asked, jerking her chin in the direction of the servant dressed in rags. "She one of his spies?"

Emily opened her mouth in protest but Julie cut her off. "No Dee, she's on our side." Julie looked over at her sister and smiled. "She's my sister."

Emily smiled and walked over to the group as they exited the cage and introduced themselves.

"Well." Audrey aid and pursed her lips slightly. "Now that we all know each other, how about we break out the boys out of prison?"

Julie rolled her eyes while Emily looked at her sister uncertainly. "How many of you are here?"

Summer shrugged. "Too many."

The girls started up the long corridor of the dungeon and finally stopped at the end of a long dark tunnel. Before them was a door, half covered by dark shadows with a heavy lock.

"Think there in there?" Julie asked, walking over to the door and knocking on it softly.

Jenny nodded. "It be my best guess."

Julie smiled and twirled her knife in hand. "Fabulous,"

Julie jerked the knife through the lock and twisted it back and forth for about five or six minutes before it finally clicked and the lock retracted, falling helplessly to the floor with a clang. With a smile, she crouched down and pushed the door open slowly, as someone ran out of it and tackled her to the ground

. . .

"Julie!" Emily screamed as the dark figure on her sister slashed at her with a knife while Julie slyly slid out of the, way, ripping her dress against the blade as it caught the fabric against the floor With a grunt the figure made a quick dash to grab for her, but again she was to quick and twisted at the right second to lean her foot own against the arm that held the knife, piercing it to the floor The figure let out a wail of pain and dropped the knife, while Julie leaned harder against him.

"Julian?" A figure from beyond the doorway called, and pairs of foot steps followed "Julie?"

Julie looked up, and met Michael's confused spaniel eyes and Zach's solemn ones behind him. "Hey boys, what's up?"

"What are you doing?" Michael asked, as Audrey ran to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing his lips, cheek, forehead and everything in between

"I was so worried" She said between kisses, as she buried her head in his shoulder "Don't you ever scare me like that again, Michael Cohen."

Michael blushed slightly and nodded, looking around Audrey back to Julie "Um, Julie? You know your still standing on Julian right?"

Julie looked down at the figure beefeater her, as did most of the girls and smiled His piercing blue eyes were staring up at her coldly and his white hair was a mess of tangles "I thought you sounded familiar" Julie said with a grin.

"Will you get off me, now?" Julian snapped, struggling to pull his arm back.

Julie shrugged and stood up, lifting her leg from Julian's arm and pushing back a cluster of ringlets from her face "Next time, a simple 'hello' will be a good enough greeting. Tackling someone who's trying to save you, not so much."

"Save us?" Julian repeated as he stood up, shaking out his white hair "That's what you think you were doing? We were perfectly fine before you came and attacked me"

"I attacked you?" Julie gaped "You tackled me. And for your information, I came down here and broke out Jenny, Sumer, De and Audrey, on my own While what have you been doing?"

"Julie!" Emily screamed, and everyone turned around to stare at her, but she easily ignored the gazes. "You need, to cool it doesn't matter who tackled who, okay? We've got to get out of here, before the shadow man comes back and locks us all back up again, alright? Because if we have to stop and let you, and who ever that is fight every five minutes, then well never get to the end of this god forsaken game. Now both of you shut up and let's get moving." Emily flipped her dark hair and turned, stomping down the long corridor not bother to look back to see if she was being followed.

"Who's the new girl?" Zach mused, putting his arm around Summer.

"My sister" Julie mumbled, running after her elder sister while the rest of the group followed them into the darkness.

. . .

"Okay, what's up" Dee said as they walked into the empty licorice throne room. "Where's the shadow man?"

Julie pulled at her hair, piling it back into her usual two pigtails before she spoke. "I don't know Last time I saw him, I stabbed him and he disappeared"

Jenny turned around and stared at Julie. "You stabbed you dad?"

Julie nodded, and looked around the large room. Everything seemed exactly the same as when she'd left it, including the split in the wood of the thrown from where the knife sank through. "He could be anywhere."

"Then let's get out of here while we have the chance." Summer suggested, looking back at the large double doors at the back of the room.

Everyone nodded and Julie watched as Dee stride to the doors and the rest of the group follow as she laid a dark, slender hand on the brass handle and pushing it open slightly. From behind her, Julie suddenly heard a voice. A low hushed whisper that she would never be able to forget. "You got your replacement, now I want mine."

Julie whipped her head around, and saw her sister, talking to Audrey and Michael, then looked back at Dee who was pulling the doors open, with ease.

Julie's gray eyes widened as she realized what her father meant, but shed barley had time to call out before a huge gust of wind pushed both double doors open and a dark shadowy figure grabbed Dee from where she stood.

**Another cliff hanger, now I am truly back :), loll again I is probably posting another chapter soon, so keep your eyes open and I hope you all read this I missed you guys Review! **


	30. Understanding The Rules

**Apology time! I wrote out this entire chapter, but a little differently and guess what, it god deleted bummer And at the time it was like midnight so I was like wtf man, I'm going to sleep lol so today I wanted to re write it but I had to keep freaking pushing it off, so ****now**** I write. Sorry for delay, enjoy.**

"Dee!" Jenny screamed, as sand blinded her from the entrance.

From every way it came, keeping her and her friends planted where they stood against the rushing wind and dust.

"Hold onto something!" Julian yelled as he grabbed onto the throne that had magically stayed in place at the front room.

Everyone did as Julian said; desperately grabbing for anything that was still standing against the sand storm and successfully held their positions until something pulled at Emily's leg.

"Julie!" Emily screeched as her hands were pulled off the dark curtain that she'd been clinging onto with her sister.

"No!" Julie screamed, reaching for her sister and grabbing her sister and releasing the curtain.

In a flash the two girls were pulled up by the strong gust of wind, and sand clouded their vision as they clung onto each other helplessly. Julie's arms wrapped around Emily, as she buried her head in her elder sister's shoulder, an action shed hadn't done in years. Finally the wind died down, and they fell down onto the hard ground with a thunk, blinking their dry eyes against their murky surroundings.

Lord Licorice's sandy desert had disappeared, and now the sisters found themselves in a dark and threatening forest. Tree's covered the sky creating a dark canopy that let no sunlight through. Around the stood an army of trees and bushes, not allowing them any clear escape unless they wanted to be scratched and pulled by thorns, and behind them, sitting on a throne made of thorns and vines, with a dark cauldron sitting in front of him, was their father.

"Girls," He said warmly, flashing them a wicked smile "How nice of you to join us."

Julie glared at her father coldly, while Emily made fists at her sides shaking so violently, that Julie was afraid that she would go up and punch her father.

_Bet he'd enjoy that. _Julie thought bitterly as something skittered out from their father's side, and reached for Emily.

With a shriek she fell to the ground, and Julie got to see the creature for what it truly was.

A man, no more of a beast then a man, with eyes completely black, so there was no white at all. His hands and feet were clawed and sharpened to a fine point and scratched into her sister's skin as he pulled her closer.

With a disgusted sigh, Julie quickly raised her foot and turned in a round house kick, to sent the monster away from Emily, so that now it slid over to her father's feet. "You okay?" Julie asked, crouching down to her sister's side and looking up and down her legs for any serious injury.

"I'm fine." Emily said quietly, as she stood on unsteady legs and took a step back to put more distance between her and the monster thing that had attacked her.

"Friend of yours?" Julie asked, putting a reassuring arm on her sister's shoulder as she looked back at her dad. "Does he play as _fairly _as you do?"

"No, actually he doesn't." Benjamin said without a smile, picking up the creature by the back of its neck and dragging it behind his seat. "He's quite ill-tempered to be perfectly honest, but you take what you can get in my world." Now he smiled smugly at his children. "But you two will learn that soon enough."

"Over my dead body." Emily mumbled.

"Julie sighed and ignored her sister's remarked, spending all of her attention on her father. "So, you've taken Dee because we got Emily, figures you'd take one of the strongest in our group."

"Julietta, Julietta, Julietta." Benjamin said, shaking his head sadly. "You just aren't getting this are you?"

"Getting your game?" Julie snapped, face flushed by being called her first name. "I'm learning quite well about you game, you only play fairly when _you_ want to."

"No," Benjamin said seriously and Julie shut her mouth and gazed at him with her attention completely fixed on her father. "You don't. I take certain people for certain reasons. And your replacements have the things that they lack. Look at Julian for example. He can do well under pressure and is a very quick thinker, Tom isn't."

"So you took Dee because…" Julie started as her voice started to trail off uncertainly.

"I'm more rational." Emily finished suddenly. "I think things through completely, but from what I've seen from Dee, she's-"

"Impulsive? Rash? The list can go on for some time." Their father finished, standing up and gesturing to the dark pot in front of him that started to boil and over flow with white smoke. "Would you like to see your friend Deirdre?"

Julie nodded and hesitantly walked over to the edge of the pot with a very reluctant Emily, and peered over at it carefully it was filled with dark bluish green liquid that bubble and rippled their reflections while the gazed into the dark water.

As seconds ticked by the water started to fog completely over and the water rippled more and more so that nothing could be seen but tiny dark waves. Suddenly an image started to form between the water and both girls stared at a familiar sitting figure with a dark hair and pale, thin skin.

"Tom," Julie whispered as the figure snapped his head up and looked around.

_Can he hear me? _Julie thought as Tom stood and leaned heavily against the wall.

"No, he can't hear you" Benjamin replied, staring down at his prisoner. "He's surprised that he isn't alone anymore."

Before Julie could say something else another figure appeared. A familiar tall girl with short dark cropped hair and long graceful legs. Except the girl's legs weren't poised for attack or a sleek round house kick and punch combo, they were limp, like the rest of her unconscious body that was being dragged in by two tall figured submerged in shadows.

"Dee?" Tom asked, and Julie had to lean in to hear him correctly.

With a quick movement they laid the unconscious girl on the floor and turned around disappearing in the shadows that they lived in.

And as suddenly as the picture had formed it stared to disintegrate and disappear into the original dark water.

"What did you-" Julie looked up and saw that her father had disappeared and so had the cauldron and the entire forest. Julie turned in a small circle as her sister mirrored her action and stared down at the golden sandy desert.

"How did we get here?" Emily asked, looking over her shoulder at the double doors of the castle.

Julie shrugged and stared up, as something small fell from the sky. Julie held out her hand automatically and caught the thin object, and opened her hand cautiously with a surprised look.

In her hand, was a single piece of black licorice, from Lord Licorice himself.

**Lol yay for the end of chapter 30, this one is NOT getting deleted. And just a little shout out to bloodyXfangs who was the first to review me again from my little vacation :P. Thank you, I'm back so please don't be depressed lol. Review other people please so I kinda know that you're all still around, I miss you all. **


	31. Reason

**Shorty but that's how things are! Sorry, but it had to be done lol enjoy chapter 311**

"Julie? Emily?" Someone called from behind them and both girls turned around and stared.

In the open doorway stood Jenny, her blonde hair wildly messy and her eyes wide with confusion, Audrey, staring at the girls under spiky slightly narrowed eyes, Michael, rumpled black curls sticking to his forehead, Summer, who's wide blue eyes were filled with relief, Zach, who looked as calm as ever and Julian arms crossed over his chest in a slightly arrogant manor.

Julie smiled, and grabbed her sister's wrist as she ran over to her friends, tripping slightly over the long ruffled dress and stopped in front of them, looking at each of their faces with a smile. "Are you guys okay?"

"We're fine" Jenny replied, wrapping her arms around Julie's small frame "But we were so worried about you. You both got blown away and then disappeared completely. Then the storm died down and we were looking all around for you guys but neither of you were there."

"Our father took us." Emily said quietly, her dark eyes troubled and sad. "He took us to some forest, with a small monster that attacked me." Emily shuttered, before she continued. "And we saw a boy in a dungeon, where Dee was brought in."

"He's keeping Tom locked up" Julie continued. "Dee too, but she was unconscious when they brought her in." She looked along her friends sadly. "It was another replacement, Dee for Emily."

"So she'll be at the castle then." Michael said with a frown.

Julie nodded. "And we better hurry; Tom didn't look so good when we saw him."

Jenny nodded in agreement. "Let's go, we have to get some black licorice before we leave."

Julie shook her head. "Already taken care of." With a grin she pulled up her dress and untied her back pack from the inside of her waist. She'd wanted to keep the sweets close to her, but out of sight from her father's watchful eyes. She let her dress fall as she loosened the bag top and dropped the licorice in. One plum, one candy cane, and one piece of licorice, and only about another dozen or so to do. Julie slid her back pack on her back quickly and looked back at the castle. Like every other time they'd gotten what they needed the castle turned gray and stiff. Even the sand that they stood on had changed into hard and unforgiving stone, so now all they had to do as eave onto their next challenge.

. . .

"Dee?" Tom called, walking over to his fallen friend reluctantly and placing a hand on her dark shoulder. "Dee? Wake up."

The girl's eyes fluttered, and finally a pair of dark brown eyes stared up at Tom through the low lighted room. "Tom?"

Tom smiled and took a deep breath. "You okay?"

Dee shrugged and sat up; shaking her head slightly as she gazed along the room they were in "Where are we?"

Tom sat down and shook his head. "I've been trying to figure that out for the past two days."

"We must be at the candy castle." Dee mused, running a hand through her short cropped hair.

"The what?" Tom asked, with a doubtful look. "Did you hit your head when they brought you in?"

Dee rolled her eyes. "No, Tom. This is part of the game, the new one at least. Julie's dad is controlling it this time, not Julian."

"So I was right?" Tom asked, with a flash of joy "She _is_ a shadow man."

Dee rolled her eyes "Her dad is, but Julie just knows about it, kind of like we do. But that's not the point; right now they're laying a new game. A demented version of candy land and we're just waiting for them to come rescue us."

"But why?" Tom asked. "Why does Julie's dad want us?"

Dee paused and pursed her lips slightly. "That, is something I don't even know."

**Did you like? Lol tell me if you did or didn't and what did you guys do today? I got a random Gir shirt from a flea market cause I'm awesome like that! Lol review please. **


	32. Warnings Ignored

**Yay chapter 31 is here, for you guys! And I'm back to Sweeney Todd-ing while I write. So much fun, and enjoy. **

"So, which way do we go now?" Emily asked, as her sister reappeared, wearing her normal clothes.

Being extremely paranoid, Julie had worn them over every long black dress that she'd been forced into since she'd stared staying with her father. So that now, instead of having to break into the castle, she had everything she'd needed.

"No, we go to Jolly." Julie said with a grin, jogging over to where her other friends were sitting on the unnaturally colored grass and planning out what they were doing next. "Does anyone know which way Jolly is?"

"We think he's that way." Audrey said, with a flick of the wrist to the west. "But Julian thinks that it's the other way."

"Because we've already gone that way." Julian interrupted. "So then Jolly would probably be east."

In seconds the group started in a heated debate about which way to go, being Julian, Michael, Jenny and Summer, Audrey and, Zach on the other. With a roll of her eyes Julie looked at her sister with an unamused look as if to say, do you want to deal with it, or should I?

"Its east." Emily said calmly, looking up at the sky.

Everyone stopped talking and stared at the girl, waiting for her to continue but she didn't, she just kept looking at the sky.

"See the sun?" Emily asked after a long pause. "It's closer to the ground so that means it's later in the day. So that's west" Julie pointed to the way that Julian had been gesturing at. "So then that," Julie continued. "Would be east, and that's the way to Jolly."

"Your right." Michael agreed, staring up at the sky along with her. "I hadn't even thought about if we were looking in the wrong direction."

Emily smiled and stared down the rainbow tiled road, turning around slightly and gesturing them to follow. "Let's get going, I want to get home as soon as possible."

. . .

"Okay, so after they took you guys away the stuck you in the dungeon?" Emily asked curiously. "While our father kept Julie up there and treated her like a princess? That sucks."

"He wanted to keep me watched." Julie said bitterly. "Because he knew that I'd probably break out of prison."

"He's smart." Summer added, walking next to Julie with wide blue eyes.

"Devious is more like it." Jenny added, staring back at the rest of the group. For the next hour they'd stared down the rainbow trail to the gum drop creature. And like every other candy citizen they'd faced, it wouldn't be easy at all and this time they didn't have Dee to help them either.

"What's the plan for getting the gumdrop?" Julian asked, appearing at Jenny's side like a ghost. "Or are we just going to wing it, like last time?"

"I think," Zach started. "That we should be more focused on what ever Jolly has at his disposal."

"What do you mean?" Michael asked, his sarcastic spaniel eyes narrowed.

"Plumpy didn't have any real weapon's correct?" Zach explained. "So the tree started to attack and things grabbed us from the ground. Nothing like that happened to us when we went to the candy cane forest right? Because Mr. Mint _did _have a weapon, he had an ax."

"So, if they have the weapon, they don't get anything special, all they have is that specific weapon?" Emily asked.

Zach gave her a stiff nod. "Exactly, so when we face Jolly, we'll have to be careful because he could have anything happen."

"Then we better start being careful." Julie said, looking over in the distance. "Because we're here."

. . .

"It was very stupid of you to attack my daughter like that." Benjamin told the older shadow, man who was crouched behind the throne. "More foolish then your usual mistakes."

"We need food." The shadow man hissed. "I need food. We haven't had it in weeks, you promised. You broke your promise."

"No," The shadow man said smoothly. "You broke your loyalty to me. And you know my price for treason."

The creature's black eyes widened with shock. "No, no you wouldn't do that. Not to one of your own."

Benjamin smiled wickedly. Your not one of my own, now are you? You are a creature, a sick little monster. You're not anything close to what I am."

"You will become like me." The shadow man threatened. "Soon, you'll be me. A monster, a creature of the shadows. Time will change you, and harden you."

"Your words are those of a fool." Benjamin snapped "And soon, I'll never have to hear them again."

The monster made a choking noise. "You...you wouldn't do it."

Benjamin's smile widened, and he leaned down closer to the beast. "You are a shadow man too, are you not? So you obviously know what will happen next."

"No…" The elder shadow man begged. "No...No please, please no."

But his words were useless and Benjamin had already merged into the shadows, leaving the man alone with only moments left, as the monster carved his name out of the rune stave.

. . .

"What do you mean you want one of my gum drops?" Jolly asked, looking uncertainly at the group of teens. Audrey looked back at her friends and held onto Michael's hand as she stared at the plump pink creature. It's oddly colored eyes were fixed on Audrey and Audrey alone and she was afraid to make any sudden movement.

"Yes, please." Michael asked, standing up straighter and squeezing his girl friend's hand reassuringly. "May we please have one?"

"Why not?" Jolly said with a grin, tossing his hands up in the air and gesturing toward his garden "Take if you want, but you may not be able to."

With a shrug, Michael reached over to grab a light purple and pink gum drop from the garden. With a trembling hand Michael touched the pink and purple sweet with his palm and pulled back, but his hand wouldn't obey. Michael pulled his hand back harder but it still stayed on the gum drop.

"It's stuck." Michael called, pulling back harder, and with a gasp as the sweet grew larger, and larger.

"Michael!" Audrey cried, reaching for him, as the gum drop sucked his hand inside the pink candy.

**Cliff hangers? Yes. Fun? Yes. For me? Of course. You guys? Ehh not so much. Lol did you like? I liked writing it a lot, review and tell me if you did! **


	33. Under Reacting

**Yay, cliff hanger stops and now it is the time to read! Enjoy chapter 33.**

"It won't let go!" Michael yelled, pulling against the pink goop harder. "Make it let me go!"

From this close Audrey could see the fear that she'd seen when Michael had started to change into a plant right before her. "Michael calm down." Audrey whispered, and laid a hand on his shoulder, she took a step closer to him and instantly something cool and soft slide up her ankle.

With a gasp she looked down as another purple gum drop sink up to her ankle and keep her in place.

"Audrey!" Someone screamed and Summer was at her side, trying to help her friend from where she was stuck. But as she ran something tripped her and Summer fell to the grass, her hand slipping onto a gum drop of her own. Every time someone tried to take a step to save their friends, they were grabbed at something or tripped so that they'd land in a gum drop and be kept there. After a few seconds it was only Julie and Julian left, who'd successfully stayed at the edge of the garden while their friends tried to save one another. 

"What do we do now?" Julie asked, cocking her head to side as she looked back at her friends and at Jolly who was standing a bit far away, gazing at a red gumdrop with yellow icing on top.

"We get _that_ from him." Julian replied, looking around at the rest of the group who had all gone lower to the floor as the gum drops started to pull them closer.

"Easy." Julie said with a grin, pulling out her silver knife. "Just distract him alright?"

Julian nodded stiffly and started walking over to Jolly, with Julie right behind him. Both jumped up at all the right spots, dodging gum drops until they were a mere five feet away from the large purple and pink monster.

"What can I do for you?" The creature asked, as Julian snapped his fingers to get his attention. Julie smiled and disappeared from behind Julia, sinking low enough to the ground that she wouldn't be seen and could appear behind Jolly.

"I want to know why you're doing this." Julian asked stiffly. "Why are you attacking my friends?"

Jolly grinned, and gestured around Julian with the hand that wasn't holding the gum drop. "Why isn't it obvious, my boy? They're being naughty, and no naughty children get any candy."

Julian raised a single eye brow. "Excuse me?"

"They asked." Jolly said simply. "And I said no, still they try to get what they want, so they pay."

"But why?" Julian asked. "Why not just give it to them then?"

Jolly blinked, and grabbed his chest suddenly, then fell forward, dropping his gum drop near Julian's feet and creating gurgling noises.

"Nice distraction." A chipper voice said and Julian was started to look up and see that Julie was standing there, holding her silver dagger drenched with dark black liquid. "A little longer and I thought that he would have seen me. Still," Julie smiled and reached down, grabbing the gum drop from the floor and watching as the ground turned gray. "I didn't think he'd bleed. Or at least bleed black, maybe yellow or pink but black? Surprising."

"What was that?" Julian asked suddenly, finally finding his voice from the shock.

"What?" Julie masked, hopping over the now stone dead body in front of her and walking over to Zach who was the closest to them. His leg was stuck in the gum drop all the way up to his knee, and with a quick kick, Julie hit the gum drop and it smashed into a million tiny fragments.

"You just stabbed him." Julian stated as Julie walked over to Jenny whose arm was caught in the gum drop.

Julie looked over at Julian and kicked the gum drop, before turning to Julian. "And?"

"Why?" Julian asked, while Julie helped up Jenny.

"Why not?" Julie asked, walking over with Jenny over to Michael and Audrey. From out of the corner of his eye Julian could see that he'd freed Summer and was working on freeing Emily. "It's not like he was a real person. Just a part of my father's game, nothing more."

"She's right, Julian." Jenny agreed. "And it was the quickest way for him to let go." Jenny shrugged and kicked the gum drop that held Audrey's foot.

"If she'd just waited a little bit longer who knows what could have happened to us." Audrey added, looking down at Michael who was up to his shoulder in gum drop. With another quick movement Julie stomped on the gray gum drop and freed him. With a grin he stood up and hugged Audrey, Jenny and Julie then released all but his girl friend.

Julie ran over to her sister and hugged her too, glad that she hadn't been hurt by the gum drop. "Are you okay?"

Emily rolled her eyes. "I'm fine. Are you?"

Julie nodded and smiled. "All I had to do was murder an imaginary creature, no biggie."

Julie's sister grinned and put an arm around her sister's shoulders. "Yeah kid, no biggie."

After another few minutes of reassuring, the group again set out to go to the next challenge but soon decided to stop and make camp.

"It's getting dark out, so even if we did find the next person to fight, it'll be too dark." Emily suggested and sat down on the edge of the path on more soft grass. "Then tomorrow we'll fight."

With reluctant agreement everyone sat down and quickly feel asleep. The gum drop ordeal had taken a lot out of them and it was good to just shut their eyes and sleep, even though it was on cold grass.

"Who are we facing tomorrow?" Zach asked sleepily.

"The old lady" Audrey replied equally tired. "The one with the peanuts right?"

"Her?" Julie mumbled. "She'll be easy."

Jenny nodded. "Yea, what's she going to do? Strangle us with her peanut plants?"

"I wouldn't give her ideas, Jenny." Julian said, the most awake of all of them.

"Julian's right." Michael added with a yawn. "The shadow man could be listening to us, right now."

"You're over reacting." Emily protested before laying her head on her hands and curling up to sleep. But like most thing's Emily had once believed, she couldn't be more wrong.

**I'm thinking that I might post another chapter today, but I'm not sure I'll have to decide later lol. So how do you all like Emily, and what did you think of Jolly? Please review and tell me! **


	34. Love Comes In Many Ways

**Chapter 34, and I'm sorry it's late I have a project due for my drama class. Good news its Sweeney Todd –surprise, surprise- bad news it's due this Friday –seriously Mrs. Smith?- Anyway, again one of you asked for a romantic Julian and jenny moment and I have to honestly say, please stop asking! I'm going to put them in when I can but you have to let me, I do want to hear what you guys say but trust me, romance will come when I can. Gawd, that's a long authors note, sorry I need to stop getting on these little rants, now on with the reading! **

The moment Jenny awoke from her sleep, she knew that she hadn't really awoken. She felt the same feeling that she had when ever Julian had appeared in her dreams, a confused dazed state that seemed as if something was lost, or missing. Or maybe just something wrong, but no matter what it was, Jenny felt it right now and she wasn't the only one.

With wide green eyes she looked back and forth and saw that Julian was sitting up from his spot near the road and staring at Jenny.

"What are you doing?" Jenny whispered, looking down at Julie who was curled up next to her sister.

"This isn't me." Julian whispered back, looking around with uncertainty and tense shoulders. "But I have a good guess of who did."

"Oh Julian how you flatter me." A familiar and arrogant voice called while Benjamin appeared from the shadows. His hair blended with the night air around him and his eyes were as dark and bottomless as the night sky above. No stars twinkled in this sky; it must have been one of his special touches.

"Welcome to my world." The shadow man said with joy, raising his hands above his head. "I'm quite glad you both could make it."

"What do you want?" Jenny demanded.

Benjamin shook his head slightly. "Dear Jennifer, always to the point aren't we? To answer your question, I don't want anything. I'm here because of what you want. What both of you want in fact?"

"What we want?" Julian sneered, "And just what would that be?"

"Don't play coy with me, my boy." Benjamin said pleasantly, walking between the two teens who faced three feet apart. "What you've wanted for years, Julian. And what Jennifer doesn't want to admit." With a grin he placed a hand on each of their backs and pushed them closer, until their faces were inches apart. "Each other."

Jenny looked down at her feet, and kept darting her gaze to be anywhere but Julian's deep blue eyes. "You're wrong."

"Am I?" The shadow man asked with disbelief. "Or are you just afraid?"

"Afraid?" Jenny asked. "Afraid of what?"

"Afraid that you'll be judged." Benjamin continued. "Afraid that you're making the wrong decision. Afraid that you'll be leaving your loyal Tom."

Jenny flinched at Tom's name. "I'm not afraid I'll lose Tom. I love him."

"Like I love my daughters." Benjamin interrupted. "Like you love Zach, or Dee or Michael. But Julian, your feelings truly must go farther then that. You've never spent late at night, dreaming about what it would have been like? You and Julian together, a love so strong that none of the nine worlds could destroy it?"

"Have you?" Julian asked, and Jenny finally looked up and felt her heart break at his pleading dawn colored eyes.

"No," Jenny replied half heartedly. "Well, maybe. Sometimes, I guess. I don't know!"

"You see?" Benjamin's grin widened. "It's love. True love, star crossed lovers together at last."

"But what about Tom?" Julian asked, taking Jenny's words from her mouth. "She'd told me that she loves him, and she does." He turned back to Jenny. "Isn't that true?"

Jenny blinked and looked back from Julian to Benjamin and back again. Could they be right? Was she truly lying to herself about her feelings for Tom just to hide the truth? Did she love Julian?

With a flash both shadow men disappeared and Jenny was alone. Or not completely alone, because standing at the edge of the dark room she found herself in, was a boy with dark curls and a far away expression.

"Tom?" Jenny whispered uncertain. Then with more volume and tears falling down her cheeks. "Tom!"

Tom's head shot up and he saw Jenny through the darkness. With the biggest smile that Jenny had ever seen on Tom Locke's face, he ran to her and swooped her up in his arms. "Jenny!" He cried spinning her around in the air. "My god, you're okay!"

"You're okay too!" Jenny cried. "God, I was so worried about you."

"Me too! God, I've been so afraid that you've been hurt." Tom pulled away and stared into Jenny's wide green eyes. "God, it's so good to see to see you Thorny. I'm so sorry for the way I acted. I was stupid, Jen. Really stupid. Can you ever forgive me?"

Jenny smiled and leaned into Tom's face and pressed her lips against his. The kiss was sweet, and familiar just like kissing tom always was. Something soft, something familiar and safe. But as his lips pushed against her's it changed, into something more. Something much, much more. The kiss became more passionate, hot and cold and thrilling and finally Jenny pulled back, gasping for air and tangled her hands in Tom's hair to pull him closer.

With a smile she leaned her forehead on his sturdy shoulder and leaned in towards his ear. "I love you, I don't care what anyone thinks, but I love you, and I always will. No tricks, no lies, no nothing. This is true and it always will be."

"I love you too, Jenny." He whispered, and Jenny grinned wildly.

_This is love._ Jenny thought _true love, and no matter what anyone says or thinks I will always love him. Now and forever. I never want this to end. _

Jenny pulled back and stared at the man she loved, who was smiling with his eyes closed in pleasure. "I never want this to end."

"Neither do I." Her lover replied and opened his unnatural blue eyes that mirrored the color of dawn that no one could see truly for more then a second before it disappeared into the average sky, colored eyes. "Neither do I."

. . .

"Having a nightmare, aren't you my darling?" Benjamin asked, as his daughter twisted nervously in her sleep. "You never could really sleep well at night, you know."

Julie twisted again in her sleep, not flinching once at her father's word. That was the other good thing about Julies sleep; she could never wake up, no matter what happened around her.

"At least that hasn't changed." Benjamin whispered into her ear and Julie twisted around again, clinging onto the grass around her. "But I'm surprised you aren't with your cat. What was her name again? Magic, right?" Benjamin smiled wider. "I remember the day we got her for you, do you remember that? You were just two years old and you saw it at the gift shop at Joy land. You remember that day don't you?"

Julie rolled again in her sleep, moving closer to her older sister. Her dark hair splattered over her face like a veil and Benjamin could see the terror of her night mare on her unconscious face.

"Here you go my darling." Benjamin whispered and waved his hand, and in a second a gray stuffed animal cat appeared in his hand. Its blue green eyes shone in the light of the sparks, left from the shadow man's magic. With a soft smile he leaned down, placing the cat near his daughter's arms and pulled back, staring at his two girls. "Sleep well."

Benjamin looked up, and in a second disappeared, leaving barley a trace that he as every there, while Emily sat up slightly, her eyes surprised eyes and by her sudden awaken to her peaceful sleep.

**Chapter 34 over, is your romantic conquest fulfilled? Mine isn't but ill be fixing that later. I liked how Benjamin was all sweet in this chapter, I liked even more that Emily used her skills and saw the whole thing. Very sneaky, lol. What do you guys think? Please tell me in your REVIEWS! **


	35. Intuition

**I'm back1 I'm sooo sorry I've been gone for so long, My project came out great and wasn't really sure how I should do this chapter, never the less its done so you should enjoy! **

Jenny's eye widened when she heard Julian's voice instead of Tom's, and then when she saw Julian's unnatural blue eyes, it only made her suspicions grew into terrible realizations. In a flash, she was pulling her arms back, and pushing Julian away, and when he finally let go, she folded them across her chest protectively.

"Jenny?" Julian asked, staring at her curiously, at least his face was, his eyes although were pleading. Pleading her to understand, pleading her to love him, and pleading that his fears weren't true. "What's wrong?"

"Where's Tom?" Jenny demanded, ignoring the pang of sympathy she felt when he had said her name.

"Tom?" Julian whispered. Then after a long pause, he started to speak again. "He wasn't hear, Jenny. It was just me."

"Didn't you hear me calling his name?" Jenny demanded, and at his blank stare she turned away from him and glared down at the floor. "I should've known another stupid trick."

"Jenny." Julian whispered, and Jenny fought the urge to turn and look at Julian. "I don't think that this is a trick, not this time. You said it yourself, that you love me, and that this is true love."

"I said that to Tom!" Jenny snapped back, glaring at Julian with fury. "Not you!"

Julian flinched, and looked down, while jenny bit her lip. She hadn't meant to snap at him, but she was sick and tired that he'd brought this back up again.

_I love Tom. _Jenny thought reassuringly. And another thought popped into her head before she had the time to grab it, back.

_Like you love Zach, or Dee or Michael. But Julian, your feelings truly must go farther then that. _The shadow man had told her, while every fiber of her being ached to deny it. But she couldn't.

With a sigh, Jenny peaked up at Julian through her eye lashes, he was still not looking at her, his gaze at the floor and his mouth pulled into a sad frown. Everything told Jenny that he was a monster, that hen was evil and that she was supposed to hate him. Hate him form taking away her grandfather and forcing them to play a game that nearly cost her friend's lives, and for watching her all of her life just waiting for his chance to hurt her. But even with all that, she couldn't hate him. Because no matter how much the reasons for her hate grew, she always came to the same issue.

That she loved him.

Not like she loved Zach, or Dee or Michael, or even Tom. But how she was supposed to feel about Tom and no matter how much she could try to fight it, she wouldn't only be making it worse for both of themselves.

With a faint smile, Jenny reached for Julian's hand, but he didn't even look up at her action.

"Julian." Jenny whispered, afraid that her words could only do more injury then they could good but it was worth a shot. "He's right."

Now Julian looked up, staring at Jenny with wide doubtful eyes that reminded her more and more of the time that they met. But not that these eyes were like the boys in the more games store, this boys eyes were softer, more humble. They eyes of someone who'd lost it all and now had another chance, but was afraid that it would be snatched away. Hopeful eyes.

"I don't want to try to fool myself any more." Jenny admitted. "I've thought that its everyone else who's lying, and who's delusional about it, but I think it's true. And no matter how much I should hate you, and how much I should think of you as a monster, I know your no. At least not anymore, and I don't care what anyone else may think." Jenny shut her eyes and kept going. "I love you, Julian. And everything Benjamin said was true, sometimes I would think about what it would have been like, and I guess I am afraid about what everyone else may think, but if we both feel the same way about one another then shouldn't we, well be together? This is true love, right? And I'm pretty sure that you must care about me, because you've been trying to push this for so long. So why can't we-"

Jenny's explanation was cut off on Julian's part, as he crushed his lips against hers and wrapped his arms around her neck passionately. And both of them feel into each other, not caring if the world ended all around them.

. . .

Emily sat up straight in her small spot, staring at the people around her. The girl with coppery ringlets around her small pixie like face as snuggled up next to the large boy that was kind of built like a teddy bear, and a little bit away, slept a boy that might have been the girl named Jenny's cousin. And sleeping next to him was a tiny girl with fluffy red curls that made her look a bit younger then she might have been. This was the time that Emily usually woke up, the time between night and dawn, kind of like an in between time. It felt good to wake up while the rest of the world was still sleeping away in dream land, and now that she was she could see everything around her, and who was around her.

She looked down at her younger sister, who was clutching something in her arms, Magic.

Emily smiled at the memory, remembering that the cat was still sitting on top of her bed at home, in the room that no one had touched since she'd left. Who knew that their father had even bothered to bring it to this world, or make an exact copy just for her? Or was it just some trick from the shadow world? No, it wasn't. Something in Emily told her that she should be suspicious but she knew the truth.

Someone rustled next to her, and Emily turned quickly and smiled at the scene in front of her, something that shed been expecting since the moment the she'd saw them. The boy with white hair and unnatural blue eyes, with his arms around he girl with blonde hair and forest like green ones, their limps locked in a single unit, and their lips in the same position.

**Yes! They're finally together, and so far Emily knows, because she's a smarty like that. Tell me what you think about the Jenny and Julian together-ness? Yay, nay, eh? *Omg that rhymed...kinda.* Tell me! Review! **


	36. Suprise

**Short, but I'm writing another so you know I'm still here! Enjoy **

"Em?" Julie mumbled sleepily, pulling up her head slightly. From this angle, Emily facing away from her little sister, all she could see was a dark head, but she knew that her sister was probably wide awake. They both woke up early.

"Yeah?" Emily asked, turning around slightly, and gazing at her sister's calmly.

Julie shook her head, so that the rest of her hair now cascaded around her face like a curtain. "What time is it?"

Emily shrugged. "I don't know. A little bit after dawn maybe." Emily turned all the way around to look at her sister, purposely avoiding her eyes to where the two teenagers still may have been kissing passionately. "Did you sleep okay?"

Julie nodded, pushing her dark hair out of her eyes and rolling her eyes at her sister. "Could you save the big sister after I have some sugar? I'm still sleeping."

Emily rolled her eyes and reached over, grabbing a marshmallow from a near bush and throwing it at her sister. "There's your sugar."

Julie smiled and put the fluffy teat in her mouth, opening her mouth into a large smile to give her sister a full view of the white gooey mess.

"You're disgusting you know that?" Emily asked.

Julie nodded, and swallowed her food. "That's what makes me interesting."

Emily smiled, but it soon fell when she asked. "Do you know who we're fighting today?"

Julie shrugged, shaking out her hair. "I think were fighting the lady with the peanuts, but I'm not sure."

Emily nodded, and stood, wiping her hands on her dirty servant's clothes. "Do you think dad would take pity on us by giving us a shower? Or maybe some new clean clothes?"

Julie stopped chewing and stared down at her hands. "Dad's gone."

Emily blinked, and shook her head softly, placing a hand on her sister's shoulder. "He's still with us, Julie. You know he is, even if he's changed a little bit."

"That thing is not our father." Julie snapped, glaring at her hands. "Our fathers gone, and there's nothing to bring him back."

"Julie," Emily started but closed her mouth suddenly as something appeared at the edge of her vision. She turned her head and a faint smile grew on her face. "Fast service."

Julie looked up. "What do you mean?"

Emily grabbed her little sister's hand and pulled her up to stand next to them and gestured towards the edge of the clearing. Standing there were two white ceramic boxes, glistening in the sun. Standing next to one end was something blue, folded up small and soft looking.

"Oh my god." Julie whispered, walking over to one of the showers and laying a dirty hand on them. "Why would he do this?"

Emily shrugged and stepped into one of the showers pulling back the curtain and striping off her dirty clothing. "I don't know."

But she did know, as Emily usually did but decided to keep it a secret. Just like the secret between the white haired boy and the blonde.

**Again, I'm sorry this is so short, but I am writing another chapter so please hold on. Review? **


	37. Hurry

**Told you I would post! But this took me a **_**long**___**time to write. I don't know why, but it did. But I did post so here you go1 enjoy!**

"You need one of my peanuts?" Grandma Nut asked, taking a step back from the group and pulling her basket closer. "Whatever for?"

After everyone had showered and redressed, they set of on the journey to see Grandma Nut, who was now staring at Summer and Emily with suspension.

"We just need one, please." Summer asked sweetly, fidgeting with her hands behind her back. When she'd volunteered to go ask the old woman for one of her nuts, she'd hoped that they'd just have to steal them, but unluckily Grandma was standing right outside, as if waiting for them, right down to the blue bonnet that held her curly brown hair and her red nose.

"Well," Grandma Nut replied, sorting through her basket of nuts. "I suppose I could give you _on." _She pulled out ne of her treats. "If you really need it."

Emily nodded, enthusiastically. "Yes, we really need it, Grandma Nut."

"But," The woman stopped and put her basket on the ground. "I'm going to need your help with something."

"I told you this wasn't going to work." Julian mumbled and Julie thrust her elbow behind her, getting him in the ribs.

"This isn't the time, Julian." Julie hissed, staring at her friends with anticipation. _Just take it and run, Emily. _Julie thought. _Just grab it, and run without looking back. _

"You're going to need to help me pick some of my plants." Grandma nut explained, smiling wickedly. "But, I must warn you, they can get quite snappy."

Emily rolled her eyes. "We'll do whatever you want, but we need the peanut first."

Emily reached up for the nut, but before she could get it, something reached for her first and for a split second, Julie thought that it might have been one of the plants that had grabbed her, but instead it was Grandma Nut.

At least what was supposed to be her, her original pink skin had turn a bright green color and her brown curls had turned into dark green vines. Right before their eyes the old woman was changing into a plant, like when Jenny and her friends had been slowing turning in Michael's nightmare, only much faster and sudden.

"I told you," The woman hissed, and Julie felt her entire begin sake as she leaned in towards her sister. My plants can get quite,_ snappy_."

Suddenly, Emily was in the air, her feet dangling below her and Julie was running, her knife in hand pointed towards the creature that held her sister. Before she was even close to it, something grabbed her arm, and Julie was ready to turn and slash it, she saw it was Julian, trying to pull her back.

"Let me go!" Julie yelled, struggling against him as he wrapped his arms around her and picked her up. "I need to help her!"

"She told me not to let you go." Julian told her pulling her father back. "She was screaming it on the top of her lungs, but you weren't listening."

"Why would she-" Julie broke off. "Damn it."

"What?" Julian asked.

Julie sighed. "I'm allergic."

Julian raised an eyebrow. "To?"

"What do you think?" Julie snapped, still struggling in his arms. "Peanuts!"

Julian froze, and looked down at her. "Why didn't you tell us before?"

"You know, I was just about to tell you guys that when we all started telling each other everything on our health records!" Julie rolled her eyes. "Now let me go, I need to help her."

"You obviously can't fight." Julian stated, looking back at the peanut woman who was fighting off Zach and Audrey.

"Yeah, I can't." Julie agreed after a sigh. "But _you _can." Julie put her knife into his hand. "Now go!"

Julian nodded, and turned, running off towards the old woman and her peanut plants that were snapping at everyone, including some who were trying to attack Julie. With a gasp, Julie jumped back, and back peddled to out of the reach of the peanut plants.

When Julie was a kid, she'd eaten a peanut butter cup on Halloween, when she and Emily went trick or treating. Emily had been five and was dressed as a princess –big surprise- and Julie had been three, wearing a bunny costume. When she took a bite, for one split second, it was the sweetest thing that Julie had ever eaten, and she was wondering why she hadn't eaten it before, then she couldn't breathe.

When she woke up she was in the hospital, and she wasn't wearing her bunny costume anymore, she was wearing a thin blue green dress. Never again had she ever even been near peanut butter no matter what the occasion.

And now she was watching her friends and her sister fight an old woman, while she just stood by.

The plant woman slashed at Audrey, who dodged narrowly, and pulled out a kitchen knife, stabbing it into its vines. It screeched loudly and another vine sprouted up behind Audrey, wrapping its self around her neck. Audrey cried out, her breath cut off as her face turned red, then purple.

_Somebody needs to help her! _Julie thought suddenly, and then looked around quickly, seeing that no one could see or help Audrey, because they were all fighting vines of their own. Julie looked around again, there had to be something she could do, and like magic there was. Standing at the top of the vine woman was the peanut that se had picked for them. It wasn't even that high, maybe a few feet above her head and of someone jumped they could get it.

_But no one will get it, in time. _Julie knew, and before she knew what else to do, she was running strait form the peanut woman. At first, all she could focus on was the peanut, but as she ran she was acutely aware of people that were also being strangled by the vine creatures. _I need to hurry. _Julie thought frantically as she passed Jenny that was fighting a plant that had its vines around her legs and was trying to get to her neck.

"Julie!" She heard someone yell, but it was already too late. She jumped reaching for the peanut, and felt it graze her fingertips and start to fall into her outstretched hand, when something grabbed her and slammed her down. She could feel something soft and warm in her mouth. Something she hadn't tasted for years and every cell in her body was screaming at her that this was bad, but she felt good. The peanut butter was soft, and warm and relaxing.

Julie's eye lids got heavily, and everything around her started to fall away. With a sigh, Julie relaxed, and watched as everything started to fade, but the last thing she saw was a small brown object roll into her outstretched hand.

**Okay, again this took me like forever to write! I still have no idea why but it did. But it's over, so now you can enjoy. Enjoy it! **


	38. Impossible

**Chapter 38, and I is so, _So_, SO sorry I haven't posted in forever! Don't hate me, and don't hate this chapter, because it's long. Enjoy, **

"Julie!" Someone screamed, as Julie let her eyes close. She could feel herself floating away, like she was just a piece of seaweed in a large ocean that pulled her this way and that, but she didn't care, she liked being here.

The voice called her again and this time Julie felt herself pull slightly towards it, maybe because of how it sounded. Loud, and frantic, like something very bad was happening and they couldn't stop it, no matter what they tried. But she couldn't get close enough, no matter how much she'd tried, and finally she gave up, and resumed floating absently through the dark.

The voice seemed to hum, and fade as she got farther away, and soon Julie couldn't hear anything at all, but the sound of her shallow breathing. And soon after that even stopped so all there was, was just silence.

"Julie," Someone called again, this voice more calm and deep than the last one. "Julie wake up!"

Julie tried to shake her head, but couldn't move, just keep floating away as the darkness pulled her around.

"Julie, come on!" Another voice called, sounding like the first one except a bit higher, "We're getting you help, but you need to wake up."

_No, _Julie thought. _I like this. I like being like this. I want to be like this. _

"Come on, Julie." Someone called again, just as loud as the last one, but less frantic. "You have to open your eyes."

_No! _Julie wanted scream. _Leave me alone, I like it here better. _

"Julie please!" Someone sobbed, and something pulled her back, jerking her to the sad voice. "We can't do this with out you, please, please, please, wake up."

_Why? _Julie could feel herself getting weaker, getting closer to the voice and maybe wanting to help it. _Why do you need me?_

Memories flashed dully through her mind, first was of two girls, playing a board game together while their parents watched, as they laughed and played with another. Then they turned into one with a girl, with odd white hair and deep blue eyes, talking to a girl with blonde hair, and forest like green gold ones, eyes. Another girl with dark short cropped one and long graceful legs, looking more like an African priestess, and a boy with a teddy bear shape, and gray spaniel eyes. A girl with coppery hair that fell down in ringlets and gazed at everyone through dark spiky lashes, and a girl with soft blue eyes and fluffy red hair. Another boy, with dark hair and paler skin flashed through her memory slightly, as did a boy similar to the green eyes girl, but his blonde hair was pulled back in a tense ponytail. Then they started going faster, to fast for her to see, just brief flashes of faces and scenes that couldn't be pieced together properly, and stopped, at one specific memory.

It was the girl, her hair black now and her eyes gray, running to a large plant as al her friends fell down to the dirt, tightening around their necks. She jumped, and something hit, her falling into her mouth while she fell and hit the ground hard, and everything around her stopped.

_She saved them. _Julie thought and watched with anticipation while the others freed themselves, taking deep gulps of oxygen. But the girl didn't, her eyes started to close and she didn't take up much more air, and started to sleep. First another girl with dark hair walked up to her sister hesitantly, and then fell down to her knees, grabbing the unconscious girl's body and screaming someone's name, that's when everyone started to panic.

_I saved them. _Julie realized, as everyone tried to help the sleeping girl, and finally pulled out something from her back pack, and jabbed it into her neck, while her eyes stayed shut.

"Damn it, Julie! Wake up!" Emily yelled, shaking the younger girls shoulder's while her eyes stilled stayed shut. Emily's eyes on the other hand, started to drip with tears that she was holding back, like most of the group was. "Come on, wake up!"

"Emily," Jenny whispered, not looking at the girl that lay unconscious on the ground. "I don't think…"

"No!" Emily snapped. "Not like this." She turned back to her little sister and grabbed a fist full of clothes, pulling Julie closer and wrapping her arms around her small frame while tears fell more freely. "No. God, please, no, no, no."

Julie felt the image start to fade, growing dimmer till there was nothing except darkness, although the sound of Emily's pleas still echoed in Julie's mind, and the dark became more and more comforting. How nice would it have been just to let go, leave all the sadness, all the pain, and everything else and just float around.

No.

That wasn't how this game was played, and that was what the Shadow man wanted, he wanted her to give up and wanted everyone else to give up too, but that was something that Julie would never do for as long as she lived.

. . .

As her breathing became shallower, all hope of winning the game and returning home disappeared from everyone's mind. It was, as if without her, the game had no purpose and it didn't matter if they won or lost. She was the one that lead them through the victories of the game so far, and saved them all, but now as she took what seemed like her last breaths of life, there would be no way to play the game.

"God, please no." Emily sobbed, as she tightened her grip on her little sister, whose head finally fell back limply like a rag dolls, and her chest finally heaved once more and fell without moving again. "No, no, no. This isn't fair!"

Everyone knew this for the fact it was, but only Julian had the courage to say the truth. "Life isn't fair, and neither is the game."

Emily's head snapped up, and she shot a furious glare in Julian's direction. "Will you shut up about the stupid game?" She stood up slowly, allowing Julie's body slide slowly to the hard gray ground. "Why didn't you stop her? I told you to hold her back but you didn't!"

"You needed my help!" Julian protested. "She told me to go."

"And you listened?" Emily yelled, taking a step towards Julian dangerously. "Didn't you think for one, freaking second that she would try to help us, even if it meant that she'd gotten hurt? Didn't you realize that she would do anything to make sure that we were safe and that we'd gotten what we needed? Don't you know her at all?"

Julian sighed. "I thought-"

"She's going to die now, because you _didn't _think!" Emily screamed pointing an accusing finger at Julian. "Because you had to listen to her!"

Julian didn't flinch, he knew this dance well. It was one of the thing s that he'd learned fro watching humans and mostly Jenny on earth, when someone they love is gone, they wanted something or someone to blame. Someone to push all their anger too and hurt at because someone's gone and they would never, ever return.

"Emily," Jenny said quietly, walking next to the scared girl and placing a hand on her shoulder. "I know your upset but, yelling at Julian won't bring her back."

Emily shook her head, staring down at her hands that were two fists at her sides. "I….I just..."

"I know what it's like, when you lose someone." Jenny told her, softly. "You're angry and upset and you know it's not fair. You feel like it's your fault that there gone, and you think that you should have been there to help her, that you could have saved her if you'd just did something, but…"

"You did all you could." Zach continued, staring blankly at the back of her head, and surprising everyone by his sudden continuation. "You couldn't have saved her, no matter what you think you could have done."

Emily shook her head, wiping tears with the back of her hand and watching the ones she'd missed hit the ground silently. "I can't believe it.

"No one can." Michael agreed, putting an arm around Audrey who was burying her head in his shoulder. "She seemed so sure."

"No one can cheat death." Emily said calmly, and everyone stared at her with mouths a gape. "Not even, her."

Emily turned around and walked back to her sister's body, she'd begun to gain the pallor of the dead, her pale skin like newly fallen snow, or the clouds over head that they'd counted when they were young. Her knees buckled, and she fell down next to the corpse, allowing her hand to stoke her soft hair gently, like she'd never been allowed to do when Julie was alive, and others stood around her in a half circle, just watching and waiting.

The cries started with Summer, who had been covering her mouth with her hand and finally let it go as tears streamed from her pristine blue eyes, and next was Jenny who really hadn't known the young girl for long, but would miss her every day if she'd gone, and now she was, and then everyone was following the pattern, except Julian but anyone could see that even he wasn't able to brush it off.

The small group of teenagers stayed there for what seemed like hours, the sun watching over them, until it finally set on the other side of the horizon. Finally some started to walk away from the body, no more tears to shed and wanting to leave who ever was left there to mourn her. Finally there was only Emily, after Jenny knew that she should have some alone time with her sister, but it didn't matter who was there or not to hear the heart breaking words Emily would leave her sister by.

"I always thought that I was going to go first." She whispered, when Jenny's footsteps faded in the dark evening. "I thought that everyone would be there, mom, my husband, my kids and hell maybe even my grand kids, but I would have waited to be alone with you, so I could tell you goodbye." She shook her head softly, and tried fruitlessly to wipe more tears away. "But, I never thought that you'd go first. You were always the strong one, the smart ne, the glue that held our family together but when you told me about the shadow world, I thought that you'd finally snapped and I was going to have to be the one that held our family together, but I was wrong, and…."

Emily blinked and stared down at her sister, her mind sadly reminiscing on all the fun that they'd had growing up, even when their father had left them. Memories of playing hide and seek with their neighbors, playing in the snow and building their first snow lady –they'd thought making a snow man was unfair at the time- and finally growing up to be close sisters.

"I'm sorry," Emily whispered. "I'll always be sorry for the way that I treated you and how I wasn't a good sister and didn't believe you when you came to me. There is no way that I'll ever forget it, and I know that you would have held it over my head forever if….if we'd made it out of here together. And I promise, I promise you, Julie that I'll win this game, for you and for everyone." She shut her eyes and laid her hand on Julie's cold cheek, trying not the shudder at the thought that it would never be warm again. "And I'll tell mom the truth, about everything even if she may not believe it because, it's what you deserve."

Emily opened her eyes and shrugged off her jacket, placing it around Julie's stiff body at the shoulders and stood, staring down at the girl and thinking about how much easier it would have been if she'd just pretend that her sister was sleeping, but she didn't think that anyone had that good of an imagination. Emily blinked and turned slowly, talking a hesitant step away as if she expected something to pull her back, but stopped and turned, spinning around and kneeling back down next to her sister and puling out something that she'd stashed in the pocket when her sister hadn't been looking.

The little gray cat, was slightly squished from being in the small space for too long, but as Emily flattened Magic out to her usual shape she knew that Julie wouldn't have indeed. Emily pulled the jacket back, and put it the cat in her sister's unmoving arms, so that a tiny ear could be seen under the jacket, when she put it back. Now she could leave, knowing that now two people that loved her sister was watching over her, while she finished the game.

**Unexpected wasn't it? It absolutely killed me -not literally-, to let Julie die, but it needed to happen. What did you think of it? Do you want to scream and go to my house and yell at me? Review and tell me then. **


	39. Things Aren't Always What They Appear

**If you're still reading this, after reading my last chapter, good for you, you are a true fan. Enjoy.**

The moment Julie opened her eyes; she knew that he was there.

It was like something that you can just sense, like a dog can sense danger or when you know something bad is going to happen, but this was much worse then that. She blinked, staring up into the darkness and pushing herself up slightly, before realizing that she was on solid ground.

The realization made her want to kiss the ground, itself, but instead she pushed herself onto her back and gazed up into the darkness that was slightly dimmer and felt him step closer to her.

"Good," He said pleasantly. "My darling is awake."

"At least that's good for one of us." Julie mumbled as a light cut through the darkness like wild fire, blinding Julie for a second before she realized where she was.

She was sitting on a platform in the forest that she'd fallen into when the wind had taken her and Emily, except now it was much brighter here and almost happy. With a sigh, she propped herself up on her elbows, glaring at her father who as sitting on his throne like he had before, his chin in his hand as he gazed at her from across the meadow, like she was something that he couldn't have, and he was right.

"What am I doing here?" Julie asked, raising her hand to her head while the meadow tilted in the oddest angle.

"I brought you here." Benjamin said stated, cocking his head to the side like Julie usually did, and had to suppress a shudder at the thought that that might be the reason that she did. "You're quite a brave player, you know."

"What do you mean?" Julie asked, sitting up straighter and pulling her legs close to her body, as if he was going to run over to her and break them, maybe he would.

"Going to save your friends from being choked to death, even though your allergic." The shadow man mused. "And sacrificing your life, just so they would live, purely amazing."

_What's he talking about? _Julie thought quietly. _Why is he talking about how brave I am? And why can't I remember what happened when we faced Grandma Nut? _

"But, to fight against the brink of death, with no strength at all, only fed on by the power of determination." He shook his head lowly. "You are a very formidable opponent, my dear."

"The brink of Death?" Julie repeated then took a lung full of tense air. "You mean I…"

"Died." He said it plainly, with no bitterness or coldness that Julie could detect in his deep and persuasive voice.

"But, but I'm here." Julie protested, touching her arms and legs to make sure that she was. "How can I be dead if you can see me? This doesn't make sense, even for you. I've read everything about the nine worlds and especially about the shadow world and it says nothing about-"

"Julietta," Her father interrupted and she stopped with a frown and glared up at him. "You died, but you came back."

Julie blinked, and opened her mouth gasping for breath. "How?"

Her father shrugged. "You we're so close to dying, but that at the last moment, you didn't. You somehow pulled though, but you were weak so I brought you're here."

"Do they, know?" Julie whispered.

Now Benjamin grinned, his wild and evil smile. "Why, no. I don't believe they do.  
>The allusion I left them with <em>was<em> quite convincing."

"How?" Julie croaked. "How did you do it?"

"Well," The shadow man explained. "When your sister turned to yell at Julian, everyone else did so no one would really notice when you started to breath, faintly but you were breathing and I managed to help you disappear and leave something that they would believe was your body." His smile grew wider. "So now she and everyone else believes that you are dead."

"You…." Julie shut her eyes; there was no word that could describe her hatred for the man that had once been her father at this moment. "You're a monster."

"I can't disagree." Benjamin agreed standing up and walking over to his daughter where he put a hand under her chin and forced her to look up into his eyes, once she opened her own. "Now, there's the question of what to do with the _real_ Julie."

Julie pulled her gaze away from her father and glared down at the ground around her. "That's your decision, not mine."

"Yes," The shadow man mused. "It is, isn't it?" He pulled back and stroked his chin thoughtfully as if he were really thinking about what he was going to do with her when he smiled and snapped his fingers and turned back to his daughter who was still glaring away from him. "I think I have the perfect place to keep you."

"Let me guess." Julie mumbled, looking up at her father. "The dungeon, along with Tom and Dee?" His smile faded slightly and it fueled her own. "That's where they are, aren't they? They're sitting down in the candy castle dungeon."

Benjamin rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest in an oddly parental way that reminded her of the father that had been around when he'd been a child, the one that she'd missed and traveled all the way here to find, but instead found this monster. "And a smart girl, too. But that's not where I'm sending you, guess again."

Julie sighed, and shrugged. "Where then, father dearest?"

Benjamin leaned in, so close that Julie could feel the heat radiating off his body, not heat though, power she decided. "To where every princess is dying to go. Have fun in your tower, Rapunzel."

**To all of you who'd honestly think that I would be heartless enough to kill of my main character, I am shocked that you would think of me like that. Then again, I would have expected the same thing if that's all I read, but if you know me as well as you should, you should remember that things are not always as they appear. :P Review. **


	40. Monster

**This isn't over bloddyxfangs, lol. So, you all probably think that my last chapter was a bit of a wtf? Is she dead or not? Make up your mind! Thing, well I still don't know where I'm going with it, but oh well. I'm kind of pressed for time because I want to finish this by the end of the week; I skipped over a few characters and just skipped to the start of the big final face of thing. Sorry, but it's what I had to do, and wow this is super long so why don't I just let you guys read? I'm ruining the chapter! Enjoy!**

Who knew that four days could change so much? Emily especially couldn't believe that the few short days had drastically changed the game that they played, and now they were on the last leg of their journey, but even then they will still straggling. With a heavy sigh, Emily turned to cast a quick and futile glance at what was left of her group that was still playing the game.

Behind her was Jenny, whose hair was in blonde knots and her eyes with fierce and filled with the bright spark of determination. If you'd look at her you'd hardly believe that just two days ago she was cut in the ankle by one of Princess Lollipop's arrows. Candy was supposed to be sweet, not sharp, hard and murderous, especially in the hands of someone who could be considered as an assassin, she'd even stopped limping. Next was Julian, his blue eyes duller then before, and his face still scathed in red from the varies attacks from Queen Frostine's scepter, that managed Julian-Julian the former shadow man, and toughest and strongest of them all- to bleed and cry out in sheer pain while she leaned in for the final cut, against his throat.

Who knew what would have happened if Audrey hadn't been there and distracted the queen enough for Julian to kick her legs out and when she fell, squirm away and grab the scepter? But of course Audrey paid the price, and fell down against the ice, being dragged under to the point where Emily knew that everyone was questioning if she would be able to breath, or if the Shadow man would have just taken her to the place where, Tom, Dee, Zach, and soon to be Michael were.

Summer was still behind Emily, holding onto her injured hand forlornly, and not even Emily could blame her from being shattered in trying to help pull Michael out of the Fudge pit. Even Emily's numbness had started to fade, and she could now feel the aching of ribs when something pulled down at her while she was clinging onto the fudge lily for dear life before it snapped and everything turned hard and solid. That's all that was left, a blonde girl with more determination then Emily would have thought possible, a boy who had powers beyond anyone could imagine, or at least he did, a girl with an innocent look but was not afraid to fight, and Emily, someone who didn't belong in their world.

Suddenly, Emily could hear the footsteps stop behind her, and she looked up with a sad smile that the rainbow path had ended, and now there was only unnatural colored grass, and a grand castle made of candy cones and sugar. The Candy Castle and the end of the game.

"This is it." Emily whispered, and she could hear the laughs of nervous excitement and joy behind her. "We did it, we freaking did it!"

"Not yet we haven't." Julian said emotionlessly, staring up at the sky, but as Emily looked up, she could see that it was something else, something purely horrible. Something was inside the castle at the tallest tower amongst the swirl of a pink cone, and ten to one they were going to have to fight it, or possibly kill it.

They never made it easy, did they?

. . .

For four days Julie spent locked away in the castles' highest room-over kill much? - and waited for someone, anyone to help her.

She knew it sounded stupid, but she was in no condition to try and find a way out of a ten story building, and make it out alive to find her sister, and find the ay out of this mad place, but that was just one of the many things that were on her to do list. The first was actually convincing her sister that she was alive. With a sigh, she fell onto the bed that her father had placed in the room that looked like every princess-y thing that had ever been created. Then again, it shouldn't have surprised Julie that her father would over do it, he could never do things without going over the top, and the huge amount of mattresses that her father had place don her bed was comfortable, but no prince would be coming to kiss her awake, so she needed to break out on her own.

And what better way to do it, then going down just like her father had wanted her too?

. . .

Pushing the door open with a sigh, Emily couldn't help but gasp at what she saw inside. It was just like she and probably every other child who'd every played the candy land game imagined the castle to be. The ground was made of what looked like swirled fudge, and the rugs were colored sea form blue, and green with odd splashes of red and yellow here and there. A wall hung with red licorice curtains and at the front of the room, standing very casually, was a man who was the king of the castle, and her father.

Emily's small smile vanished as she laid her eyes on her father, and she could feel the anger radiating off her friends bodies' behind her. No matter who they were everyone who met the new Benjamin.

"Figures that you would be here." Emily scowled, and glared at her father coldly, the last time she'd seen him she was just a scared girl, but not now and never again. "What the hell do you want now, Benjamin?"

Benjamin's eyes sparked with uncertainty before he smiled a very warm smile as if they were old friends meting up for a cup of coffee. "When did you and your sister gain such a temper, Emily? I swear I think you must get it from your mother's side because I honestly don't-"

He paused, and could yell that the teenagers weren't even going to try to interrupt them like before, instead they just stopped and stood there, waiting for him to finish why precious time ticked away.

"A story for another time then." He mused, before clapping his hands together and bowing grandly. Well, you've all made it haven't you? And you're all ready to leave, but you want your friends hm?"

_Don't say anything. _Emily thought, seriously._ He's just baiting us, all we have to do is wait and hell be done. _

"You're not even going to ask what I've done with them?" Benjamin asked, taking a step closer. "You're not going to ask if I've tortured them. If I've hurt them or if I just let the shadow men have them?"

Emily took a hesitant step back, and gasped, turning around to see that she was alone here. _Where did they go? _Emily thought stupidly, before turning back to her father with a hateful gaze.

"You probably tortured them." Emily stated a matter-of-factly. "Any man who'd let his daughter die, would probably hurt her friends just to add insult to injury, am I right?"

Now uncertainty was plain in her father's gaze as he pulled back, and shook his head, walking around in a small circle before turning back to his daughter with a glare that could probably turn a person to ice, but not Emily.

"You really think that don't you? He asked, walking closer to his eldest daughter, and placing a hand under her chin. "That I'm a monster, am I right? That I'm not your father anymore? That I don't care about my daughters, or the life I've left behind? Well, my darling, why don't I show you, how much of a monster I can truly be."

In a blinding second, she was falling, watching in horror as the tiny bit of light that surrounded her father disappeared and hurled her into utter and terrifying darkness.

**I'm pretty sure that there are probably going to be like four or five chapters left in this fan fic, maybe more maybe less I still don't know but I am NOT ruining it for you! Review please, cause I love readi9ng them!**


	41. Didn't See That One Coming

**Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Okay, so if you read my last chapter, here is a little recap. The only people that are left in the game are Julian, Emily, Summer and Jenny. If you were confused about the Queen Frostine stuff, or princess lollipop or any of that stuff, long story short, Lollipop took out Zach, Frostine took out Audrey, and Fudgy person got Michael. Now on with the story! Enjoy!**

As if she'd hadn't already had her fill of Alice experiences, falling down a trap door at high speeds in the dark was just as terrifying as the first time, maybe even more because either way she knew where she would end at, in her fathers hands where he can do what ever he felt like to her, and her friends.

_At least Julie's safe. _Emily thought dimly, letting the thought out before she could catch and keep it to herself. The moment that Emily was alone with her thoughts, she d made a decision that she wouldn't think about her sister until the game was over. Shed have to focus everything she had nylon winning the game, for Julie's sake and her own.

With a gasp, Emily hit the ground hard, her hands and knees breaking the fall painfully as she rolled onto her side and shut her eyes briefly. For a second, the only sound that filled the room she was in was her own shallow and calm breathing, but soon there were other noises too, that interrupted the quiet.

"Who's that?" Someone whispered, and she could hear footsteps come closer towards her, along with the echo that they made that shook the ground. "Emily?"

"Who'd you think?" Emily muttered, as she pushed herself onto her stomach then her hands and knees before looking up at who ever had spoke, finding herself staring at a pair of dark slips jeans. "Good to see you're alright, Jenny."

"We could say the same about you." Julian pointed out, leaning down to face her eye to eye while Summer and Jenny did the same while he spoke. "Nice landing by the way, very graceful."

Emily rolled her eyes. "You know, when I'm not in serious pain, I might have to slap you."

Julian grinned. "Oh, that would be interesting.

With a roll of her own eyes, Jenny and Summer helped Emily up, making sure that she could stand up on her own before they let go of her shoulders, after Jenny whispered in her ear. "He'll probably hit you back."

"So, where are we?" Emily asked looking around the walls, of the dark and dank looking place. "Dungeon?"

Summer shrugged. "Beats me, we've been here for a whole five minutes and we can't find any doors."

"But," Jenny said with a small smile. "I don't think that, _that_ door was there before you came crashing down here."

Emily turned and stared openly at a door that looked like it could have been from the renaissance. Made from dark stiff looking wood, the door was mounted with a large, dark piece of iron and a small open cage around the top of the door separating a small door carved into the wood.

"Let's go then." Emily said confidently, walking over to the door and ignoring the flare of pain that she felt in her arm as she did it, she laid her hand on the iron handle that was cool to the touch, everybody ready?"

Jenny nodded, and crouched down into what looked like a position to fight of someone, when she gave the girl a strangle look, she mouthed. "Monster fighting pose." Summer gave Emily a brief nod before raising both of her tiny fits up, and moving her legs shoulder with apart, and Emily was scared for what ever wanted to attack her. Summer might look sweet, but she was one force to be reckoned with. And lastly was Julian, standing casually as if he didn't care whatever came after him, and she couldn't really blame him, he _was_ a shadow man after all.

With a sigh, Emily pushed the door open with as much force as she could without hurting her other arm any further or at least trying too, and watched tensely while it swung open with a creak into a blank room.

"There's nothing in here." Summer whispered, as the four of them walked into the dark room that seemed completely empty. There was barely any light in the dusk like room, and the air around them was quiet and tense.

"I think you're wrong there." Julian told her, while he walked along the room trailing his hand along the walls stayed with large cold brick, before he called more loudly. "Hello?"

Emily counted to ten before she decided that she should say something to Julian when someone else's voice entered the quiet room. Someone that she knew wasn't there when they'd entered.

"Julian?" Audrey called, and her heels clicking echoed along through the darkness. "Julian! Jenny! Summer! Emily! You found us!"

Emily smiled as Audrey came into view, her coppery curls bouncing as she ran up to them and gave them a brief hug before she stopped and turned to look at them all for a long moment. "Mon Dieu, what happened to you guys?"

Emily smiled mischievously as she shrugged-hoping no one saw that she winced-. Too much stuff, but the most recent was falling down a cute form the top floor of the castle."

Audrey shook her head softly. "That's awful, but I can't believe you're here, all of you. We're all here too." She gestured behind them where a group of figures slumped against the brick wall, looking half asleep. Now we all can go right? But maybe we should…" She paused, looking from Jenny back to something behind them. "Actually maybe we should talk first, because we haven't talked in so long and-"

Summer shook her head. "No way, I want to get out of here now." She tip toed over to one of the sleeping figures and tapped their shoulder. "Hello? You need to wake up. We're leaving now."

The figure yawned and looked up, Michael mumbling sleepily. " I wanna sleep- longer…"

Audrey rolled her eyes sweetly and walked over to where Michael was asleep, shaking him more rapidly and whispering something in his ear that made his head snap up in total awareness, while Jenny walked over to a figure that looked like it might have been Zach. "Hello?"

"Jenny?" Zach whispered and pulled his cousin down and gave him a tight hug, while summer ran over to him next and hugged the boy too.

Leaving Emily and Julian along, looking around the dark cavern awkwardly, at least that was what she was looking it. Julian's attention however was focused on something else, something on the other side of the room.

"Hey," Jenny said suddenly, turning around questionably and looking at Audrey with curious eyes. "Where are Tom and Dee?" While at the same time, Summer exclaimed. "Hey, I think I might have found a light switch!"

Before anyone could wonder why on earth there was a light switch in a cavern, Summer pushed it on and the room was coated in bright light, earning a sudden gasp from Jenny who was staring in the direction that Julian was.

Emily turned, and cocked her head to the side at the scene in front of her. Propped against the wall was the girl with short dark hair and long graceful legs that she remembered as Dee, with her arms around a boy with soft dark hair and a dark set of eyes to match. There was a dull beat of silence in the room that sucked out all the good warm energy before Emily realized what shed missed. That while Jenny and the rest of them had been fighting for their lives, and she fighting for Tom –who might have been dating she wasn't completely sure, because she'd been thrown off by the Julian thing-, he'd been here, hooking up with her friend.

And _now _things decided to make sense to, Emily?

**I wanted to add some guilt on to of all the stuff going on, or is it like poetic justice? Or maybe irony, that's probably it. Anyway, so what do you think that Tom and Dee are hooking up around the same time as Julian and Jenny? A little bit of drama between the characters? Review! And P.S. if you did see that one coming, good for you! **


	42. What had To Be Done

**Chapter 42 and I am back! Now read and enjoy! **

"You two….have been hooking up?" Summer stammered after a long beat of silence. "Like, since you both came down here?"

Dee looked away, while Tom continued to stare down at his feet, not even thinking about glancing in Jenny's direction. "Yes, but-"

"How could you do that?" Emily interrupted, walking over towards Tom angrily. "God, what is wrong with you? Do you think she wouldn't have found out? Your hooking up with her friend you, jerk."

"Look," Tom said calmly, taking a step back away from the angry girl. "I knew that Jenny and I were fighting and I thought-"

"You're a jerk, you know that?" Emily snapped, interrupting Tom again. "I can't believe that now, you decide to make a move when we're all fighting for our lives and yours."

"Hey," Dee interrupted, taking a sudden step forward, and placing a hand on Emily's shoulder. "It wasn't like that, alright? You shouldn't yell at him."

"And _you_ shouldn't tell me what to do." Emily countered, turning over to Dee. "Because you are just as bad. You've seen what Jenny must have been going through right? But do you care? Obviously not because when we finally come to rescue you you've got your arms around Tom."

Dee blinked, and frowned at Emily before taking a step back. "You don't think I'm sorry?"

"You shouldn't be." Tom told her, putting an awkward arm around her strong shoulders. "And you shouldn't yell at her. This wasn't her fault, and wed hoped that we would have gotten to explain it to Jenny about how I moved on from our break up after the game was over."

"Excuse me?" Jenny asked crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at Tom through narrow eyes. "You were just going to fake your feelings about her until we were all free then stab me in the back?"

"I think you're over reacting a little bit on that." Tom pointed out, but added reluctantly. "But yes, that's exactly what we planned to do."

Jenny's eyes widened. "Wow, you're a piece of work, Tom." She turned her gaze to Dee with a coldness that even Emily could feel. "Both of you are really."

"Jenny," Dee sighed, taking a step forward but Jenny flinched back, and the action hurt Dee more than any of the words yet.

"Well, you know what?" Jenny asked with a sick smile on her face. "I don't care. I don't care who the hell you go out with Tom, and I don't even care that some of my closet friends planned to lie to me about it. Do you know why? Because I'm going to stay here."

"You're going to stay in Candy land?" Zach asked doubtfully but no one seemed to pay him much attention.

"I'm going to stay right here, in the Shadow World." Jenny continued, her smile growing wider as she turned around suddenly and ran to Julian, throwing her arms around him madly and kissing him in front of everyone, completely ignoring the loud gasps of distaste and shock as she did so. When she pulled back she saw that everyone's eyes were on her, filled with surprise, including Julian's, icy blue ones. "Because I'm in love with him, and he's in love with me too."

"You can't be serious." Audrey insisted, holding onto Michael's hand tensely. "He's a shadow man, and he's-"

"Someone who loves me!" Jenny snapped. "And he's _never_ lied to me either. Can you say the same?"

"Jenny," Julian whispered, looking between her and her group of friends. "What's going on with you? You know that you can't stay here, I'm not even going to-"

Jenny's voice and Julian's eye widened while she started to shake in his arms.

"Jenny?" He whispered before she started to shriek in his grasp and Julian watched with horror while her mouth started to dribble with blood, which at the sight of he dropped her flailing body and she fell onto her knees.

"Jenny!" Summer screamed as her friend looked back and grabbed into her chest, the action both fascinating and scaring Julian befog she opened her mouth and let out a blood curdling wail before falling limply onto the ground at Julian's feet, a long and sleek silver knife sitting in the middle of her back.

"Jenny…" Someone whispered in front of Julian, but the sound was a universe away from him. He sank down to his knees, reaching out towards Jenny limp body, picking it up and carefully setting her on her side so her head fell into his lap, holding her as delicately as he had when she was alive. It was impossible to think, that for once second she was there and the next she was gone. The only light of his life, extinguished, and now his world was plunged into an unfathomable darkness that might have taken all of his immortal life to find the way out of, and maybe he would try.

"She can't be dead." Dee whispered, running down to Jenny's body as more and more of her friends drifted to the same place and grabbed her pale hand that had now gone cold. "No. Not like this, no, no, no, no."

"Don't waste your time." A hard voice told them from across the room, in the doorway still hidden in shadow. "It isn't coming back."

Everyone turned to the voice, and glared silently into the shadow where the voice had come from. "You're a murder." Dee snarled, standing up and pulling the knife from Jenny's back, and pointing it into the dark shadows, that were just a hint darker then the wet blood that still dripped from the blade. "God, you are a sick monster and you murdered her!"

"I thought you were smarter then that, Dee." The person stated, no emotion in their voice as they stepped forward, coming closer to the light, so that Emily could make a faint outline of the monster that took the innocent girl's life. "I did what had to be done, it was the only way."

"You kill her!" Julian yelled, and Emily stared with shock that his eyes were filled with fiery hatred that made her veins run cold. "Now show yourself!"

The person sighed, and finally took a step into the light, but even Julian couldn't hold his composure to hide the shock and surprise on his face.

And Julie had the same issue, when Dee ran at her, with the knife held high.

**Well, I'm back! Sorry, I haven't posted in a while, but I wanted to get this chapter just right, and I'm pretty sure I did. Lots of twists in this one and yes leaving you off on yet another cliff hanger, I'm really quite bad at those, aren't I? Review and tell me what you think of this chapter1 **


	43. Fighting The Trust

**Yay, somewhat fighting and continuing the end of my last cliffy. But of course I'm going to end on _another _one, it's what I do. Enjoy. **

"Dee!" Emily yelled as Julie ducked under the elder girls slash with the knife, and spinning around to face her back to her sister, hiding what ever expression for only Dee to see. With a grunt Dee jabbed, again and Julie swung back and over to the side of her opponent, glancing back between her, the knife and the rest of the group. "Stop!"

"I'm going to kill her!" Dee snarled, slashing in the place that Julie had been before she darted away to back up on the other side of the wall. "She killed Jenny!"

"Dee, you need to calm down." Julie told the girl and Dee blinked, the knife growing tenser in her grip. "I know you think that I just killed her, but you don't understand that-"

"You _did _murder her!" Dee screamed, and stabbed the knife into Julie's direction again, but Julie moved at just a fraction of the second before the knife hit her shoulder. "You're a monster just like your father!"

Julie blinked, and suddenly she was backing up against Dee, holding Dee's arm that held the knife between them. "You need to et a grip on yourself, Deirdre." Julie said calmly, even though her voice was cold. "And learn that I am _nothing,_ like my father."

Dee shook her head and pushed Julie back, jumping onto her with a warriors screech and slashing at the girl's body wildly, but then suddenly, she was pulled off of the small girl and Julie looked with reassurance that it was Julian and Michael holding her back while she thrashed violently.

"She's right, Dee." Audrey told her, placing a hand on her shoulder and shooting a glare in Julie's direction where she still sat down on the floor. "If you kill that thing, then they'll never tell us how to beat the game, now will they?"

. . .

"You're wasting time!" Julie yelled, as they finished tying her up with some spare rope that they'd found in the darkness and placed her against one of the walls, while the rest of them piled into a loose semi circle around her, except for Julian who was still staring down at Jenny's limp body. Cuts along her hest and arms, from Dee's attak had started to dab blood when she moved and struggled, but there were more important things to worry about. "God, don't you think that this is what he wants?"

"Shut up!" Summer screamed, and Julie could see that there were tears in her crystal blue eyes. "Jesus, why can't you people ever stop?"

Don't worry, Summer." Zach whispered, putting a protective arm around her shoulders. "She'll be done when we get done with her."

"Excuse me?" Julie asked with a sigh, struggling against the ropes around her wrists behind her back and her ankles that were bound under her, while she leaned forward on her knees. "We don't have time for this! We need to find Jenny, before the games over."

"You want to find Jenny?" Michael asked, sarcastically. "Well she's right over there with Julian because you threw a knife in her back!"

Julie blinked, and shook her head slowly. "You still think that thing was Jenny, don't you? Well guess what, it's not. Because Jenny was taken about two nights ago in fact and brought here."

"And you would know that why?" Emily snapped, glaring down at the girl in ropes. "Because it's what my father_ told_ you to say?"

"No, Em." Julie whispered, puling on her ropes more purposely. "Will you please untie me? We need to find Jenny or else she'll get left behind!"

"Will you shut up about that?" Audrey asked with a roll of her spiky lashed eyes. "You don't get it do you? We don't believe you or your master's lies. And we don't believe for a minute that you're not a murder. You understand now, _n'est pas?"_

"I understand that you _don't_ understand." Julie said seriously. "Because you still think that, that thing is jenny and that I'm dead, right?"

Emily rolled her eyes. "No, shit Sherlock. We watched you kill her and Julie did die days ago, and now my fathers trying to use his tricks to distract us from the fact that he's cheating in his own game!"

"That's not Jenny!" Julie screamed. "And I am, Julie! I almost died, a few days ago yes but I _didn't_! I got taken here and I've been here for the past few days waiting for you guys to come so I could explain to you what a lie it was, and that isn't Jenny because a few days ago the real Jenny was brought here and thrown in the dungeon, right before my eyes."

There was a beat of silence before Julian's loud laughter cut through it all attention turned to him and his manic chuckle.

"You're a good liar." He told Julie, his eyes burning with cold hatred as he turned back to his love's still body in his arms. "To bad it isn't true, no matter how much I wish it was."

"Jesus…" Julie whispered struggling harder and sitting up straighter with a glare at Julian. "If that's really Jenny, answer me this. Haven't you noticed that her blood isn't red?"

Everyone glared down at Julie with distaste and finally Julian turned to Dee with an eye brow raised, and calmly crossed his arms over his slim hest. "Show us the knife."

Silently Dee obeyed and pulled out the weapon that was still in her slim dark finger's. The blade was s till dark with the blood of it's fresh but, but instead of dark red, the liquid that dripped onto the cobble stoned floor was black, like the soul of the monster that had taken Jenny's place.

"It's true. Emily whispered, turning back to her sister and leaning down to face her with narrow eyes. "But how do we know that your not one of them?"

Julie smiled a wicked and mischievous smile that belonged to an evil genius like herself. "Guess you'll have to let me show you."

**Time for trust, and finding Jenny, but let's let Julie prove herself first. Did you miss me? I missed you! Review, please! **


	44. In The Dark

**Chapter 44, and its short but whatever at least it's a chapter! Enjoy! **

"How do you think that you can prove your really you?" Emily asked, as she slashed at the ropes that held her sister tied, and stood up, staring down at the younger girl.

"Because," Julie stated, standing up unsteadily, and reaching out for the knife. "I can bleed."

With a roll of, her eyes Emily handed Julie the knife, feeling everyone's gazes on them as they did and watched with horror as she pushed the sleeve of her jacket up, showing her ivory wrist in the pure light. With a quick slash, she pulled the blade against her wrist, and watched with fascination as the flesh opened and then blood started to pour out from the wound.

With a grim smile, Julie held up the knife in her uninjured hand like a trophy and showed everyone that the blood dripping from the blade was dark red, not black like Jenny's had been. "You see?"

Emily gasped, and took a step back, looking at her friends behind her who just stood unnerved by the scene that they'd just witnessed. All except for Julian who was s till staring down at the corpse in his arms, looking as if he'd expected it to disappear at any moment. Maybe he was right.

"So, you see?" Julie asked, pushing the sleeve of her jacket down along her injured wrist and put the knife back in its rightful place against the inside of her boot. "We need to get going, or else none of us will be able to leave."

. . .

"You think they'll be able to find you?" Benjamin asked, walking around the dark cell and trailing his hand along the walls. "I doubt that they even know you're gone."

Jenny shook her head, in an attempt to get his voice out of her mind, not to answer his question. But of course she couldn't answer him with her own voice, because he'd wrapped a cloth over her mouth that kept it muffled and bounded her wrists and ankles with rope to keep her from breaking free, which seemed like adding insult to injury considering she wouldn't know how to get out of this room even if she was able to, or able to actually see through the darkness that surrounded her.

"I won't say that I'm not disappointed though," The shadow man pointed out, leaning in to stare into her green eyes. "I would have paid top money to see their faces when you told your friends that you'd fallen in love with the very thing that had brought them all into the shadow world in the first place."

Jenny turned away, staring down at her hands that had gone red and raw around the wrists where the rope had bitten into her. She knew what her friends would have done if they found out, they would have incited that she was lying or it was one of Julian's tricks before finally falling into silence.

"And imagine Tom's face." Benjamin continued, pulling back from his captive and pacing slowly around the room. He loves you so much, even if it's hard for hi to say. But you just take advantage of it, you always have. And now here you are, right where you belong."

A loud crash sounded from another room and Jenny jumped up, and watched as Benjamin's smile grew wider and he turned, giving her one last look before turning around and finding the door to the room and pushing it open, allowing her last glimpse at sunlight before he shut the door behind her, leaving her alone in darkness.

**Honestly had no idea how to go through this chapter so that's why I made it short and I am sorry about that. Review anyway, and 1poisonivy, be patient they will get together soon! **


	45. The Watcher

**Sorry, I haven't posted in a while, this is a good one and there's a dramatic cliff hanger –aren't there always- so you'll have to read! Enjoy! **

"Jesus!" Tom exclaimed, as Julie kicked the door open with one swift movement "Where'd you find her? The circus?"

Julie rolled her eyes, and pulled out her knife, completely cleaned form all blood that the shadow Jenny might have shed and laid her back against the brick wall around them. "We'll talk about my amazing abilities after we find Jenny, alright?"

Everyone nodded and gripped their knives tensely, ready for whatever beast would spring out at them. The door swung open slowly, the handle half on, and half off the open lock creating a soft squeak as the door moved. Finally, there was just a square of dark where the doorway had open, and somewhere in the shadows someone was sobbing.

"Jenny?" Julian whispered, and started for the darkness first, while everyone followed him hesitantly.

"Julian?" Jenny called, with an excited hitch in her voice. "Julian, I'm so glad-"

Jenny gasped, and not even Julian could be prepared for the shadow lion, until it was already on top of him.

. . .

"Julian!" Jenny screamed, pushing against the ropes that dug into her flesh as she struggled.

Julie was n Julian's tail in a flash, along with most of the group who weren't rushing to Jenny's side to untie her. Julie jumped, flinging herself through the shadows onto the beats back, with Emily not far behind, knife raised. With a roar, the lion tried to shake the girl's body of its back, but she hung on, digging her nails into its skin and tangling her fingers through it's mane to steady her grip, while she slashed at its back with her knife.

The lion roared again, this time, swiping against Emily's body while she slashed at its legs and jumping of Julian's struggling form, then leaped through the air on Emily's. But before it could get to her, it vanished and Julie fell to the floor, her finger's still tangled as if she was holding onto its fur.

"Now girls," said the steady and misleading voice from the doorway of the dark room, before it slammed shut and the lights blinked on with it. "Let's not break your father's things."

"Oh great." Dee growled. "You're back."

"Yes, Deirdre." Benjamin agreed, running a hand through his dark hair softly, before staring down at the graceful girl with a cold glare. "It is my game, is it not?"

Next to him, as if on cue the shadow lion reappeared, arms and legs poised in harmony, and ready to pounce and attack at its master's command, allowing everyone a first chance to gaze at the creature for what it was. Its body was dark and dangerous, much like a panther's except this creature was larger then the average wild cat and it owned eyes of crimson, with a gaze more focused unlike any other wild animal. And this creature, was as deadly as the lurker and the creeper, and filled with more power then moth of them combined.

"Have you met my new pet?" The shadow man asked casually, stroking the lion along its back. "I call it my Watcher. Appropriate, isn't it? It's been watching you for days, when I could not. And sometimes it even helped me while I was there."

Julie rolled her eyes. "It doesn't matter what you call it, it won't help you now. Because we have, Jenny. And now we can leave, unless you want to cheat at your own game, father?"

Jenny could tell it hurt Julie to call the man her father, no matter who he once was, he wasn't her father anymore and he might never be again, because he, was a monster.

"You really think that." Benjamin noted, staring down at his daughter now, after he moved his gaze away from Dee. "That I'm just going to let you stroll out of here without a second glance, and never bother you again? Well frankly my dear, you must not know me at all."

"What are you going to do?" Julie asked, her voice dead serious and quiet, baring no emotion.

Her father smiled his signature grim and wicked one. "Well, I'm going to do this. I'm going to give you guys once last chance to beat me, one last tip of the hat before I win it or lose it all. And if you can beat me and solve the riddle I have for you, you'll all be free to go."

"And if not, we stay trapped here forever?" Emily finished, with a sneer that told everyone this was a pure family matter.

"Precisely, but," He paused and his smile widened. "You can also just walk upstairs and go off on your marry way, it's your choice."

"What's the catch?" Julie asked, and fought a shiver as her fathers smile faltered for a second before growing even wider.

"Easy." Benjamin continued. "If you solve my riddle, all of you can leave. But, if you decide to go up stairs and through the door back to your world, one of you will have to stay behind." He looked between his daughters playfully, like a cat in the face of his prey. "Your decision,"

Then he disappeared into a screen of smoke, with his Watcher right beside him.

**Okay, here is one of the big decisions because Benjamin just won't quit! What will the girls decide? What will happen in the next chapter? You'll have to wait and see. **


	46. The Riddle

**This one is short, I really need to stop at those, but its good. Enjoy! **

"So, what are we going to do?" Julie asked, the moment that her father disappeared form the group. She moved over to the wall, and sat down, bracing her back up against it and letting her head fall down while her dark hair made a curtain to hide it. "We obviously can't risk not being right, so who's staying back?"

"Are you crazy?" summer asked walking over to Julie while her hands braced into small shaking fists at her side. "We can't let anyone stay back. They'll be stuck here forever, we should try the riddle."

"So we all can be stuck here?" Julian asked, putting a protective arm around Jenny's shoulders, to which she did not object. "I agree with Julie, one of us should stay behind."

"Well who then?" Audrey asked, glaring at Julian with spiked lashes. "If one of us has to stay, who should?"

"It's obvious," Emily interrupted, staring down at her hands that were fidgeting with her shirt. "Who ever should stay should be who ever is part of this world."

"So I should stay, then?" Julian asked, raising an eyebrow with a grimace. "Why don't you, you are his daughter."

"In what way?" Julie snapped, glaring at Julian with fury. "He isn't our father, not anymore at least. But, he is still a shadow man, as are you."

"You know we're just wasting time." Zach pointed out, looking up at the ceiling with an amused smile, something that Julie and her sister had never seen on the boy. "We shouldn't risk someone being left behind, so we should just take the riddle, but our time's being wasted because of your fighting." He sighed and looked back down on the group calmly, and saw that everyone was staring at him incredulously, but knew he was right. It would be better for them all to stay, than have someone be left behind. "So, now we have to tell him our decision."

"You already have." The shadow man replied, and everyone turned to see him back where he once was, his arms crossed over his chest and his frame leaning against the door. "And might I say, a very wise choice." He grinned wickedly and pushed himself off the door, taking a few steps toward the teenagers and uncrossing his arms, holding them out at his sides as if he was about to conduct an orchestra. "Here, is your riddle,

_Everyone has on at one time or another, but not everyone can use it. _

_It is young, it is old, as old as time, or young as the day. _

_It is soft, it is cruel, and it is sweet, as it is hard. _

_Its worth cannot be priced, and its affections are best shown in May. _

_It is loved as much as it can be feared. _

_It creates, as much as it can destroy. _

_Its opposite is its love. _

_And on your birthday, it's pain and joy." _

Everyone blinked, staring at Benjamin with their mouths firm lines of determination as their minds worked to solve the riddle, while he just kept on smiling as if he already won the game.

"Do we get a hint?" Emily asked, staring at her father with an eye brow arched 'Or,. Do you expect us to just guess without any idea of what it is?"

Her father sighed and nodded, clasping his hands behind his head and shutting his eyes briefly before snapping them back open and allowing his smile to grow wider. 'The answer…" He paused, wanting to drag their tension longer. "Is the reason for the game."

"What does that mean?" Michael asked, but Benjamin shook his head, his smile growing wider then humanly possible."

"That," He wagged a finger at Michael. "Would be telling, which is against the rules. Now, good luck with your guesses."

**Short, but that's the way it has to be. Well, can you guys guess what the answer is? And before you even think about it, you can't check the answer for this poem because I wrote it so you or the peoples wouldn't be get it that easily. Sorry I haven't posted in awhile, but you guys haven't been reviewing so I think it's okay. Review! **


	47. Every Game Has It's Reasons

**Chapter 47, and now is the time for the riddle and the reason of the game to be revealed, enjoy. **

"Okay, what do we have?" Emily asked for the third time while everyone turned to look at her with a grimace. "Besides what we had before."

"The same thing we had before." Julian told her with a roll of his eyes. "Nothing, now will you stop asking every five minutes so we can actually figure out what we _might _have?"

Julie sighed, and ran her hand through her dark hair, an action that she'd had the habit of doing when she was nervous, or trying to figure something out. And right now, she was both. The riddle was something that shed expected from her father. But the reason for the game was another thing entirely. The two had nothing alike, at least as plausible answers went, but that was just another thing that her father wasn't.

_Think, _Julie commanded herself, focusing on the words that were echoing through her in her father's voice_. He knows that you can solve it, that's why he made it hard. _

_Everyone has on at one time or another, but not everyone can use it. _

_It is young, it is old, as old as time, or young as the day. _

_It is soft, it is cruel, and it is sweet, as it is hard. _

_Its worth cannot be priced, and its affections are best shown in May. _

_It is loved as much as it can be feared. _

_It creates, as much as it can destroy. _

_Its opposite is its love. _

_And on your birthday, it's pain and joy_

Finally, she gave up, leaning her head against the hard wall behind her and shutting her eyes, welcoming the dark that followed. This was the kind of thing that shed expected from her father, building up her hopes and just when she was about to succeed toppling them down without a second thought.

Something loud cut through the tense silence, something that seemed like a coughing choked sound then turning into full open laughter that made Julie open her eyes and sit up, turning to Zach who was laughing at something in his hands.

"Zach?" Jenny asked, leaning forward from under Julian's arm, something that she was more used to then Julie would have expected, and looked anxiously over towards her cousin who had started to laugh even harder, and let his phone fall down onto the ground.

"What is it?" Summer asked, in the same nervous tone as her friend and looking over at her boyfriend nervously, who ha defiantly stared to come down and was picking up his phone and turning it over so that everyone could see.

"It's a text," Zach explained, a wide smile still on his face. "From my mom."

"Really?" Julie asked, leaning up on her knees and cocking her head to get a better view at the small words from across the room. "You get reception down here?"

Zach shrugged. "I'm just as surprised as you are, but it's the text that was funny." He turned the phone back to him, and started smiling wider. "'Zach, don't forget to pick up card for mom, for mother's day. You know how she gets, ttyl.'"

Julie smiled and everyone in the group cracked small weary smiles along with her, each hiding the slow realization that there would probably be no more mother's days for them, and maybe even wondering what their mothers would do on that may morning when they woke up with their children missing.

_May…_Julie thought absentmindedly, and then sat up immediately with a wide smile. "That's it!"

"What is?" Emily asked.

"The answer to the riddle." Julie explained, looking over at Zach. "I can't believe I didn't think of it sooner!"

Julian raised and eye brow. "Julie, not all of us can read minds, would you care to explain?"

"The answer is a mother." Julie explained. "Everyone has one at one time, but not everyone can use them because sometimes they can die, right? And they can be any age, too."

"Like, when you're playing house when you're a kid?" Jenny asked, following Julie's train of thought.

"Exactly!" Julie agreed. "And they can be soft, like when you want something or hard when they won't let you get what you want."

"And there's no price on a Mother." Michael pointed out.

"And mother's day is in May." Emily realized, grinning at her sister. "God, you might be right about this."

"I know for a fact that it can be loved or feared." Audrey added, flicking a limp coppery ringlet out of her eyes. "She's the one who taught me how to be…"

"A bitch?" Dee asked, playfully and Audrey shot her a playful glare, which Dee ignored.

"A mom can also make stuff." Tom said, putting his arm around Dee's waist which Jenny smiled at nonchalantly. "But she can also destroy thing like plans and stuff."

"And its opposite would be a father." Julian realized, with a wistful smile at Jenny, his eyes telling her tat he was proud of her, while also leaving a trace of resentment for Tom, which Julie assumed always had been there.. "Which is usually what they love."

"And on your birthday, there in a lot of pain." Julie finished, because of well…" she let her voice trail off, as everyone knew what she was leading to and continued. "But there full of you too."

"But, that can't be the answer." Emily suddenly realized, looking over at her sister with horrified eyes.

"Why not?" Julie resented, crossing her arms over her chest. "It's seems like the right answer, and everyone else agrees, Em."

"Because," Emily explained quietly, hating ever word that came out of her mouth. "If your right, then who would be the reason for the game?"

Julie blinked, and for ten seconds everyone was quiet, realizing with horror what Emily had been the first to think of, then Julie gasped, and stood, leaning against the wall for support as if her legs might buckle at any moment. The realization flicking in and out of her busy mind no matter how much she tried to will it away.

If the answer to the riddle was a mother, then she's the reason for the game. And right now, she could have been in more trouble, then any of the teenagers had faced.

**Shocking isn't it? I kind of think its romantic too, but still very devious, as I always am in my writing and I leave you off a cliff hanger. Review!**


	48. Gone

**So, sorry I haven't posted in forever, but I am now even though its short, its something! Enjoy!**

By the time Julie jumped up to run to the door, it had already appeared in front of her. She turned to her sister, who was standing next to her in an instant, her dark eyes mimicking Julie's with anxious worry and fierce determination. They both knew that this was their fight, if there even was going to be one.

"Lets go." Julie whispered, grabbing the handle to the door that turned under her grip quickly and plunged both sisters into the light while the shouts and voices faded behind them luckily. Before they knew it they were on the ground, or a familiar ground, more like it.

Julie pushed herself up, propped up on elbows and glanced around in the darkness, instantly remembering where she was, her living room.

It was just like she'd left it, the wind red couch sitting in thee middle of the room, and the flat screen handing from the ceiling. The wall that had been replaced with mirror years ago to make the room seem bigger, glinted a copy of herself back at her, and the lamps on small tables cast eerie shadows in the dark.

"We're home." Emily told her, twisting onto her knees and standing, offering a hand for her sister to take. And once both girls were up, they walked around the room tensely, afraid to make the lightest sound in case to tip off that they were back in their Pennsylvanian home. "Do you think we're too late?"

Julie shrugged and took as step towards her mother's room, her foot steps unnaturally silent along with the dark tense room, while Emily mirrored her actions. With a trembling hand Julie reached out to grab the door handle that she'd used so many times, to use her mother's clothes when she was young ad wanted to play, or use the better bathroom if Emily was hogging it, or even just to say good night to her mother. She wished with every fiber of her being that she would be able to do the last one again.

With a gasp Julie pulled her hand off the doorknob, her hand blistering from the sudden flare of heat on the once cool metal. It shouldn't have surprised her that her father would be using tricks to keep them out, but it wouldn't stop them, not this time. With a grin she pulled out the knife she kept in her boot and her sister gripped at her own knife, holding the blade steady.

Both girls crouched, and Julie raised her leg in a kick, loosening the door from its hinges and Emily did it a second time. Screams sounded from the other side of the door and with an anxious glance at each other Emily and Julie used their combined power and pushed the door the rest of the way so it flew back and hit the ground with a thud.

For weeks Julie imagined her reunion with her mother, everyone involved crying, with her mother and Julie and even Emily. Her mother's welcoming arms around her younger daughter's body and clutching her tightly and never letting go. But this wasn't the reunion that she'd dreamt of.

Instead, her mother's room was trashed. The bed's sheets were ripped and pulled broken glass and mirror bits lining the floor and the curtains were ripped and skimmed the floor and a stench of burning filled the room.

"Oh no," Emily whispered, and Julie turned, looking in the direction where her sister was, and feeling her heart break. A small fluff of orange fur was visible among the debris, their pet Pomeranian, Sammy. He's persistent yapping had always caused Julie and Emily to tear their hair out, while their mother slept through it. But he was also one of the most cuddle and protective animals that both girls had ever met. And both girls knew that he wouldn't be getting up again.

Julie took as step forward, and another, finally stopping at the front of the small dog and picking up a blanket then dragging it over his body. The blanket pulled, and Julie gasped, her eyes staring down at the floor that was now black. "Emily, you need to look at this."

As both girls leaned down, pulling the rest of the blankets out of the way and carefully wiping away glass and other sharp objects, they knew what they'd find. Burned marks in the floor, a large circle burned into the wood like an alien crater.

Under it, in carefully written letters was a message, something that their father knew that they were sure to find. And something that plunged the knife deeper into their already bleeding wound that he'd made.

_You lose. _Two words that meant that they'd truly lost everything, their father, their mother, their pet, everything but each other. But, they wouldn't take that for granted, not again.

"What do we do now?" Emily asked after a few minutes of just staring at the charred letters in the floor. It as the kind of thing that Julie wanted to ask Emily, a line her little sister would ask the big sister, but they'd never really been like everyone else.

"We go back to where we can." Julie whispered, standing up and turning to face her sister. "We go home."

**I'm back! I made this chapter so short because I want to have at least 50 or so chapters in total, and I swear I shall1 review if she haven't completely disappeared! **


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